Sian Garwood

The traditional assumption made by SMEs is they are too small to be a target for hackers and cybercrime, but the 2024 UK Government annual Cyber Security Breaches Survey found that 49% of small businesses reported at least one cyber breach or attack in that 12-month period.
With the digital environment for UK SMEs reaching a critical inflection point additional mandatory compliance requirements are being implemented this year.

Two new sponsors, including a former winner, have signed up to the Bury Free Press West Suffolk Business Awards.
Cross Country Carriers, based in Risby and winner of Business of the Year – Medium/Large last year, has joined this year’s event as a table sponsor while The EpiCentre, based in Enterprise Way, Haverhill, will sponsor the gala event’s drinks reception.

18 year old Joe Warren is embarking on a career as a specialist recruiter thanks to an initiative run by The EpiCentre to help young people into employment.
Joe was attending WS Training, a post-16 education centre in Haverhill, that focuses on vocational studies, work experience and personal development to support transition into employment or further education.

Centre manager, Helen Earl says: “As part of the festival programme, The EpiCentre will host a series of events throughout the week aimed at local businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals interested in developing skills or exploring opportunities within STEM-related fields.

For many UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the journey to securing capital can feel like navigating the complexity financial jargon, shifting investor moods, and internal hurdles. The drive for funding is rarely just about the money; it is about bridging the vital gap between a breakthrough innovation and a commercially viable product.

Developed using SKC Studios’ conversational AI platform 1956 Individuals, the AI Queen Eleanor experience is the culmination of Leeds Castle’s new exhibition, Pilgrimage of Love: Eleanor of Castile, that opened on 9 March 2026.

The EpiCentre at Haverhill, close to Cambridge and on the border with Suffolk and Essex, is buzzing with activity and humming with the sweet sound of success – and its rise and rise has been no accident.
Since Helen Earl took over as centre manager in November 2024, tenancy has shot from 35 businesses to 54 – with a healthy waiting list.

Quinn Cox, the Mayor of Haverhill, has taken a virtual office at The EpiCentre in Haverhill for his new business QRC Property Group.
The company has been set up by Quinn Cox following a career in teaching and more recently in laser engineering, to buy and refurbish residential property.

This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the women who start, scale, and sustain the businesses that keep our communities moving. Women have and continue to play a vital role in business, despite the relationship between the two not always being acknowledged fairly.

There is a difference between meeting people and building a network. Most founders will attend events. The harder part is turning introductions into outcomes, whether that means new customers, partnerships, hiring support, or building visibility in the right places.