The numbers are in, and they tell a story of a business community that is ambitious, resilient, and eager to grow.

2025. The year in numbers:

Behind every statistic is a person with a vision, and we are incredibly proud of the volume of support we’ve been able to facilitate over the last 12 months:

• 3,945 hours of support: That is nearly 4,000 hours of dedicated advice, mentoring, and guidance delivered to help Oxfordshire businesses navigate challenges and seize opportunities.

• 2,258 event attendees: From digital deep-dives to networking hubs, our community showed up in force to learn and connect.

• A growing directory: We welcomed 60+ new businesses to our official Business Directory this year, bringing the total to over 200 organisations cross-promoting and collaborating across the county.

• Bespoke pathways: 858 businesses took the proactive step of completing our Business Support Tool, receiving a free, tailored Business Action Plan to guide their growth.

Focusing on our districts:

A major highlight of 2025 was our dedicated work within the West Oxfordshire and Cherwell districts. Through two focused rounds of support, we engaged 441 entrepreneurs and businesses, helping them build stronger foundations and scale their impact locally. We were thrilled to host celebration events during 2025 for all businesses who engaged with this programme of support.

Towards the year end, we gathered at the Oxford Town Hall for our Marketplace and Celebration Event. It was a night to remember, celebrating the diverse businesses that have engaged with us since April 2022. Seeing the Town Hall filled with innovation and hearing the success stories first-hand was a testament to the power of a supported business ecosystem.

In your words:

We often say our support is “built for you,” and your feedback this year has been the ultimate motivation. Whether it was our masterclasses or bite-sized webinars, here is what some of our attendees had to say:

“Awesome masterclass as ever! Grae is just the best source of up-to-date, relevant and productive information on how to get the best from AI. So productive and enjoyable!”

“Short webinars are a good platform for keeping things concise… some really good tips on social media selling.”

“This event was so insightful; it met me right where I am with a fuss and jargon-free approach that gave me quick wins to implement straight away!”

Innovation through collaboration. Members Week:

One of our proudest new initiatives was our first-ever Members Week, featuring six sessions led entirely by our members. Seeing businesses return to “pay it forward” by sharing their expertise with their peers was so successful that we are thrilled to announce Members Week will return in January 2026.

Looking forward to 2026:

We are heading into the new year with more momentum than ever. Keep an eye out for our upcoming programmes:

• Helping High Streets: Tailored support for our local retail and service hearts.

• The Social Impact Business Support Programme: Helping organisations that lead with purpose.

• The Business Support Tool: Always available to help you kickstart your 2026 strategy.

To all of you who have engaged, attended, or shared your journey with us this year, thank you. We wish you a wonderful festive season and look forward to working with you (and many more of you!) in 2026.