Free help for small businesses in Spelthorne
If you run a business in Staines, Ashford, Sunbury, Shepperton or Stanwell, there’s free mentoring and advice on your doorstep. Here’s who runs it and how to sign up.
There’s a fair amount of free help for small businesses in Spelthorne, from one-to-one mentoring to a networking group with over 900 members. Some of it ends in December, and the council itself is being replaced in April 2027, so it’s worth knowing what’s there now.
This is what’s available in October 2026, who runs it and how to sign up. Nobody has paid to be in it.
Two things to do this month: register for the free Spelthorne Business Growth Service before it ends in December 2026, and join the Spelthorne Business Forum, which is also free. For anything they can’t answer, Business Surrey is the county’s free advice service.
The Spelthorne Business Growth Service
This is the council’s main offer for 2026, and the one with a deadline. It runs under the Business Spelthorne name and is delivered for the council by CPG Executive Consulting. It’s free to residents and businesses in the borough, and to anyone planning to start a business here.
You get one-to-one mentoring, start-up accelerators, workshops and masterclasses, one-hour start-up business clinics, networking events and an online learning platform called MyGrowthPod. Some sessions are in person around the borough and some are online.
Sign up at mygrowthpod.com/spelthorne. You’ll get a welcome email and a newsletter that explains how to book workshops and your one-to-one sessions. The programme runs until December 2026, so if you want the mentoring, don’t leave it until November.
The Spelthorne Business Forum
The Spelthorne Business Forum is a community interest company run by local business owners, and it’s free to join. It has over 900 members. You can list your business in its directory, come to its networking events and keep up with grants, training and changes to local rules through its news.
Join at sbf.biz. If you’re new to the area or just starting out, a networking event is a quick way to meet other owners nearby, and they can turn into customers, suppliers or people who recommend you.
£0
to join the Spelthorne Business Forum or the Business Growth Service.
900+
local businesses are members of the Spelthorne Business Forum.
Dec2026
is when the Business Growth Service ends, so sign up soon.
Business Spelthorne, the council’s website
Business Spelthorne is run by the council’s economic development team. It’s where the Growth Service lives, and it also has a newsletter, a list of local business events you can add your own to, and the practical council pages on business rates, licences and permits.
If you need somewhere to work, the council also runs the Spelthorne Business Hub at its offices on Knowle Green in Staines. It isn’t free: a hot desk is £99 a month plus VAT, for Spelthorne residents and businesses, and it’s aimed mainly at businesses under three years old. The hub’s events and workshops come with it.
Business Surrey and national help
Business Surrey is Surrey County Council’s free business support service, open to any business in the county. It covers starting up, funding and grants, growing, regulation and licensing, and exporting. If you’re not sure where to turn, you can ask for help through the support form on its website. Its contact form promises a reply within five working days.
Business Surrey is part of the government’s Business Growth Service, which has its own website at business.gov.uk. It asks a few questions about your business and then shows the advice, funding and rules that apply to you.
If you’re starting up and need money, the government-backed Start Up Loans scheme lends up to £25,000 per person at a fixed rate (7.5% a year when I checked), and each loan comes with free mentoring. It’s a personal loan, so you’re the one responsible for paying it back.
Your council changes in April 2027
Surrey’s councils are being reorganised. From 1 April 2027, Spelthorne Borough Council and Surrey County Council will be replaced by a new unitary council for West Surrey, which also covers Guildford, Runnymede, Surrey Heath, Waverley and Woking. Until then, the council says nothing changes in how you get its services.
After April, the council-run schemes in this guide may change name or shape, and business rates and licences will be handled by the new council. Check the council’s website before you rely on any of them after that date.
Your free-help checklist
- Register for the Business Growth Service at mygrowthpod.com/spelthorne, before December 2026.
- Join the Spelthorne Business Forum at sbf.biz and add your business to its directory.
- Sign up to the Business Spelthorne newsletter for local events.
- Bookmark Business Surrey for funding, rules and anything else.
- Claim your free Google Business Profile, so people who hear about you can find you. Here’s how to get the most from it.
If you’re just starting out, my guide to landing your first ten customers covers the rest, and none of that costs money either.
Checked against each organisation’s own website on 10 October 2026. Nobody paid to be included.
