WINTER 2022 ROUND-UP The 2022 FSB West Midlands award winners. Could your firm be on the rostrum next year? Put your business centre stage The search is on again for the best and brightest small businesses in the West Midlands. The 2023 Federation of Small Businesses (FSBs) Celebrating Small Business Awards have been launched, and the West Midlands regional final will be held at RAF Cosford in March. Small business owners and the selfemployed have 12 award categories to choose from (see panel), including ones for customer service, diversity and inclusion, and for businesses that shine in their local communities. ROUND-UP FSB regional chair Sue Tonks We were overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of the entries we received last time, and hope many more of the amazing West Midlands small business owners and the self-employed will take part this time, to prove again just how diverse and innovative our local small business communities are. In 2022, the West Midlands awards attracted a record number of entries, from a wide variety of sectors, and organisers hope that there will be an even bigger response this year. This is a very challenging time for small businesses, so it is the ideal opportunity for SMEs to remind everyone of the incredible work they are doing, and to showcase how important they are to our communities, said FSB West Midlands regional chair Sue Tonks. You dont have to be an FSB member to enter, and the regional winners will go on to a national final in Birmingham in spring 2023. Visit the awards website for more information and to enter. Credit: Karen Woolley, development manager, Federation of Small Businesses Award categories 2023 Award categories 2023 n n n n n n Exporter of the Year Sustainability Diversity and inclusion Self-employed/freelancer Service excellence Micro-business of the Year (0-9 employees) n Larger Small Business of the Year (10-100 employees) n Start-up Business of the Year n Young entrepreneur (aged 30 and under) n Business and product innovation n Family Business of the Year n Community Avian flu: Restrictions in place as disease still prevalent This has been and continues to be one of the most challenging bird flu seasons to date. ROUND-UP In previous years, the avian influenza (AI) virus has disappeared during the hotter summer months and was very seasonal. This year, there have been outbreaks throughout the year and it is projected that the number of cases will increase over the winter months as migratory birds return to the UK. The Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) for poultry and captive birds became a legal requirement again on 17 October, and all bird keepers must follow strict biosecurity measures. For further information about the AIPZ, see the Declaration of Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (England). Several regional AIPZs are currently in place in Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly, Norfolk, Suffolk, and parts of Essex and Somerset. For details of current cases and the measures that apply in regional disease-control zones in England, read Avian influenza: cases and disease control zones in England. You can also find out about licences for movements from disease-control zones in force. All poultry gatherings, including fairs, shows For further information, please contact your local Trading Standards Service For up-to-date news stories and information, follow us on and markets, remain banned. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website offers biosecurity guidance for owners of birds, and if you have more than 50 birds it is compulsory to register your flock with the Animal and Credit: Tim Brooker, Trading Standards officer Image: iStock.com / Kalinovskiy Anonymous Hotline 0300 303 2636 Is your sector being undermined by unscrupulous traders operating outside the law? Report them via Trading Standards Anonymous Hotline or online and help level the playing field for honest businesses.
