£500 vouchers still available to farming and land based businesses

Farming and land based businesses in the old Eden District Council and South Lakeland District Council areas can access up to £500 to help towards the cost of working with a consultant of their choice, thanks to funding through Westmorland & Furness Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Advice vouchers can be used for a whole range of consultancy support, for example:

• Accountancy – operating more cost effectively and/or adapting to the changes in agricultural funding
• Legal – Farm & property sales & purchase, partnership matters & disputes, Landlord & tenant law, Basic Payment Scheme & other grant schemes, agricultural wills & succession planning
• Insurance – reviews, risk assessments, valuations
• Planning – planning advice, preparing planning applications and helping farming businesses use Agricultural Permitted Development Rights to support farm growth and diversification
• Architectural planning and design service
• Marketing – plans, campaigns, website development, PR
• Agricultural consultancy – specialised advice, support and guidance

No match funding is needed but businesses can choose to add more. We can however only fund work that has yet to start. It’s a really simple application process with only one quote needed (two if applying for over £2,000) and the voucher is paid directly to the business.

Anyone interested in applying should call 0844 2478450 or email info@cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk

Business grants available in Cumberland

• Revenue grants of up to £7,500 (50% match funding) to support work with a consultant of your choice in areas such as marketing, websites, accountancy, legal, planning, business continuity, succession planning, business growth, productivity, agricultural or other specialist advice. Also available are £500 advice vouchers for similar support which require no match from the business.

Applications for revenue grants and vouchers will be offered on a first come, first served basis (subject to meeting the grant criteria) until funds have been fully allocated.

For further information and to apply please click below to visit our website – Business Grants – Cumbria Growth Hub

To contact us directly email info@cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk

We don’t have long to allocate funding – grants need to be spent and claimed by the end of January 2025 so I’d encourage any business interested to start the process straight away!

Calling all employers!

Lakes College are looking for local businesses keen to give something back to their community by offering meaningful work placements to enthusiastic work-ready candidates.

The College will deliver a host of training to adults looking to move closer to the jobs market – and they want employers who can support this work by offering a full-time or part-time placement over two to six weeks which can be flexible.

If you’re a business owner keen to make a difference, or know someone who is email rachelr@lcwc.ac.uk or call 07825606978

Nearly half of SMEs don’t know about Simpler Recycling

Nearly half (42%) of small and medium-sized businesses in England don’t know what impact Simpler Recycling legislation will have on their business. According to Biffa, smaller businesses will face additional challenges such as finding space for new bins, separating all recycling into material type and training staff.

Read more about the legislation here

Improvements to Town Centres and High Streets 

City centres and high street retail centres serve as crucial economic and cultural hubs across the country, attracting residents, workers and visitors alike.

Cumberland Council recognise the need to support high streets in this challenging economic context, by providing businesses and organisations with the confidence to invest in high street property again.

Businesses can now apply to the High Street Building Grant Scheme, funded by government, which has two separate priorities:

• Priority A will focus on supporting landlords and new or existing businesses taking up an empty property. Giving grants of up to 50% of the costs (max £35,000) of eligible works to improve the property.

• Priority B will focus on support to landlords and new or existing businesses requiring funding to do facelift works to their properties.  Grants of 50% of the costs (max £5,000) can be applied for.

Funding is available to landlords and businesses within the centre boundaries of Aspatria, Brampton, Carlisle, Cleator Moor, Cockermouth, Dalston, Egremont, Keswick, Longtown, Maryport, Millom, Silloth, Whitehaven, Wigton and Workington.

This is a discretionary grant for businesses that can demonstrate that they contribute to the vitality of the high street. Grants will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

To find out more and apply click here

£660m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II – Cumbria Roadshow

The British Business Bank  would like to invite you to join them at the Cumbria Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II roadshow event taking place at the Swan Hotel at Newby Bridge on the 25th September

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II will build on the success of the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and will deliver a £660 million commitment of new funding to smaller businesses.

The fund aims to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the North of England.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II offers a range of commercial finance options with smaller loans and debt finance from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million. The fund covers the whole of the North, including rural, coastal and urban areas.

If you would like to attend, please register here

British Business Bank launches Growth Guarantee Scheme

The British Business Bank has launched the Growth Guarantee Scheme to help smaller businesses access the finance they need to invest and grow. Around 40 lenders have been accredited under the scheme to provide loans, overdrafts, asset finance, invoice finance and asset-based lending. The scheme is expected to support around 11,000 smaller businesses between July 2024 and March 2026.

Read more about the scheme here