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As The Open comes to Birkdale for the 154th Open Championships in July, there are opportunities for local food, beverage and equipment suppliers and producers to help deliver the event.

If you would like to be considered as a supplier for The Open, please read the information on Sefton Council’s website

At the end of the page there is a link to supplier information for businesses, which will take you to some information from Absolute Taste, who are providing the catering services for The Open and are looking for local food, beverage and equipment suppliers.

Please read the information and if you would like to be considered as a supplier complete the supplier form at the end.

Local residents and local businesses can learn more about The 154th Golf Open Championship taking place in Southport this summer and how it will affect them. 

All are welcome at the first Community Engagement Event which will take place at Southport Market, King Street, Southport PR8 1LA between 12pm and 6pm this Thursday (12th February 2026).
Royal Birkdale will once again host The Open from 12th-19th July 2026. 

Practice Days take place from Sunday 12th to Wednesday 15th July, followed by Championship Days from Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th July 2026.

Significant economic benefits to the local community 

This will be the first time since 2017 that Southport welcomes golf’s original Championship, an event that attracts worldwide attention, brings thousands of visitors to the borough, and delivers significant economic benefits to our local communities.

Public engagement sessions

To help residents learn more about plans for The 154th Golf Open Championship, The R&A, in partnership with Sefton Council and other key stakeholders, is hosting a series of public community engagement sessions.

ou will be able to hear from the teams delivering the Championship. 

Cllr Liz Dowd, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnership Engagement, said:

“The Open is a huge moment for Sefton, and it’s important that our communities feel informed, involved, and excited as preparations move forward. 

“The Open is a huge moment for Sefton, and it’s important that our communities feel informed, involved, and excited as preparations move forward. 

Source: Stand Up for Southport

Read the latest update bulletin for The Open here

Sefton Council is offering by way of Informal Tender seven sites across the borough.

These concessions are for the sale of ice cream and soft drinks.

Tenderers are invited to fully complete the Tender Form which is incorporated into the document, and which must be returned by email only to sue.crompton@sefton.gov.uk not later than 12 NOON ON FRIDAY 27th FEBRUARY 2026

https://www.investsefton.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/20260209-Final-Version-Particulars-Concessions-2026.pdf

We are so excited that Southport is set to glow this February half term as Lightport, a brand-new free immersive light art experience, takes over Lord Street for three magical evenings to mark the start of Southport 2026, a year-long cultural calendar of events in the town.

Running this weekend from 14–16 February, Lightport will invite families, friends and visitors of all ages to step into a vibrant world of colour, sound and movement.

We hope that local businesses can benefit from the increased footfall to Southport town centre, if you need any advice or guidance on this please contact us.

Our last economic forum was in November, if you were there you might spot yourself: Sefton Economic Forum November 2025 video

The dates for this years forums will be:

Wednesday 24th June at Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa

Wednesday 11th November at The Lake House in Waterloo

For more information on the economic forum or to book a place at a future forum visit our sefton economic forum page.

Free course for employees of Liverpool City Region businesses run by Southport College

In the pursuit of delivering excellent customer service skills to all businesses that attract and serve people visiting our region (the visitor economy), employers across the area are invited to enrol their staff onto this course.

You will learn a host of leadership and customer services skills, techniques and ideas to make your business excel, boosting your local visitor economy.

The 4 week course runs from 9.00am-12.00pm on Wednesdays, with various dates throughout the year. To register your interest use the Book Now! button below and our Employer Partnerships team will soon be in touch to coordinate your start date.

• Our course is tailored to your business and the training could be delivered either on-site at your workplace or at our Southport town centre campus on Mornington Road.
• Suitable for all customer facing staff with the aim of training employees on effective ways to develop and enhance their skills, no matter their existing ability.
• We have industry professionals delivering the course and upon successful completion, candidates receive a certificate.
• The course is free to all employees of businesses in the Liverpool City Region, which includes Sefton, Liverpool, Knowsley, Saint Helens, Halton and Wirral.

Fill in our registration form and our team will soon be in touch.

Sefton Council’s Passenger Transport Open Framework is currently live.

This framework is designed to support the safe and reliable transportation of passengers with special educational needs and disabilities to and from their educational and/or care settings.

Sefton Council would like to promote this opportunity to local suppliers & support local businesses in signing up.

The information session will cover:

• How this framework will operate
• Explore how you can sign up to the framework
• Details on specific requirements for SEND transport services, including meeting the needs of SEND passengers and safeguarding.
• Find out how you can bid for work, take part in mini competitions.
• Access support that is available to you from the Procurement Team / InvestSefton.
• 1:1 chats with Sefton Council’s Procurement team at the session.
• Marketing opportunities via the framework.

The event will be held at The Lake House in Waterloo on 3rd February at 12pm. A complimentary lunch will be provided.

To book your place please visit our events page.

Southport is set to glow this February half term as Lightport, a brand-new free immersive light art experience, takes over Lord Street for three magical evenings to mark the start of Southport 2026, a year-long cultural calendar of events in the town.

Running from 14–16 February, Lightport will invite families, friends and visitors of all ages to step into a vibrant world of colour, sound and movement.

The event marks the opening moment of Southport 2026, a year-long celebration of the town’s Elegantly Eccentric past, present and future. Using cutting-edge lighting technology and immersive audio, Lightport sets the tone for a year packed with culture, creativity and unforgettable experiences.

Sefton Huddle is the networking group for businesses in the digital, creative & tech sectors in Sefton. The group meets three times a year and the next meeting has been confirmed for Tuesday 24th Feb 2026, from 11am to 1pm at Marine Football Club in Crosby.

If you would like more information about Sefton Huddle please call us on 0151 934 3452 or email investsefton@sefton.gov.uk

Book your place at Sefton Huddle here.

2026 is going to be HUGE for Southport with the launch of Southport 2026– a series of cultural events taking place on Lord Street. (Visit Southport 2026) for details on the events).

To ensure businesses make the most of this opportunity, InvestSefton recently ran a series of workshops to help businesses think creatively, promote themselves more widely and help to deliver next level customer service.

The presentations from all the workshops can be found here and we plan to rerun the workshops later in the year- keep an eye on our website for more details.