We’re really pleased to share details of two businesses who successfully accessed grant funding delivered by Cumbria Business Growth Hub.

Broughton Bank Perry and Cider is located just north of Cartmel and is run by John Hibbert who plants, picks and presses apples and pears to make cider and perry.

As the business grew a significant bottleneck in John’s production process became apparent – all of the fruit had to be lifted by hand into the crushing hopper.  With production rising to 3,000 litres of juice, the processing of approximately 15 cubic metres of apples was physically exhausting. This manual process clearly made it difficult to scale up the business. Of course it was difficult to see how the business could grow with this model:  it became clear something was missing. Some form of mechanical support was needed.

To overcome this challenge, John decided to purchase a conveyer to lift fruit into the crushing hopper. To help fund the project, John contacted Cumbria Business Growth Hub about grant funding support and applied for a capital grant funded by the Rural England Prosperity Fund, provided by Westmorland & Furness Council. Following a straightforward application process, he was awarded a grant of over £3,600 towards the cost.

The introduction of the conveyor significantly eased the production workload and physical strain on staff. The increased productivity has afforded John time to reorganise workspaces, and further streamline operations.

John said:  “It’s been really uplifting to know that there’s this kind of support available administered by the helpful people administering it. The knowledge that the business is something that national and especially county institutions want to encourage is really positive, and helps with those times when people in small businesses can feel quite isolated.”

Bike, Hike and Paddle is an outdoor education business founded by David Phillips, who has 25 + years in the outdoor industry and his wife Kirsty who is a passionate outdoor enthusiast. The business is registered as an Approved Activity Provider with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, providing training for and supervision of the expedition element of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

One of the main barriers to entry in the outdoor education market is having the right equipment to deliver expeditions professionally and safely.

David and Kirsty contacted the Growth Hub and applied for a grant scheme funded by the Rural England Prosperity Fund, provided through Cumberland Council. The pair were awarded a grant of £20,000 which contributed to the purchase of equipment including a mini bus, trailer, canoes, walking equipment, and camping equipment.

The next phase of growth for Bike, Hike and Paddle involves investing in their online presence and booking process. They’re seeking marketing assistance to improve their existing website, with a goal of automating bookings and integrating card payments by this autumn.

You can read more here