A new initiative is to be introduced to help those who run businesses from home. The first homeworkers’ hub meeting for businesses in and around Didcot will take place on Wednesday 11 September 2013 at Cornerstone arts centre in Didcot between 11am and 1pm. The meeting aims to provide help, advice, meeting rooms and informal networking opportunities for those who work from home by providing a business environment for people to meet and work with like-minded people from across the districts. It is hoped that the initiative will build on the excellent groundwork started by Jennings, who launched a homeworkers hub at ‘The Picnic Hamper’ café and business lounge at Monument Business Park, Chalgrove, last year. Jennings is fully supportive of this latest initiative. The idea stemmed from feedback from home-based businesses at a joint event held by South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse District Councils last year. Businesses suggested they would welcome opportunities to meet with other home-based businesses and get access to advice and facilities. The first meeting will feature a guest speaker followed by a tour of Cornerstone. The tour will highlight the different spaces available within the venue for home-based businesses to use. If you are a home-based business and are interested in attending homeworkers hub meetings, then please contact Fiona Burn at Cornerstone on Fiona.Burn@southoxon.gov.uk or 01235 515132. Cllr Judith Nimmo-Smith, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Property and Technical Services at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “People who work from home often don’t have access to facilities or opportunities that could help their business develop. We hope that by bringing home-based businesses together we can cross some of these barriers and potentially help them to reach more customers.” Cllr Elaine Ware, Cabinet Member for Economy, Leisure and Property at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “This support network will be a real boost for home-based businesses, providing the opportunity to work and network with others in a similar position and gain support from a wide range of people.”