Cumbria Business Growth Hub has been running grant schemes on behalf of Cumberland Council and Westmorland & Furness Council with funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund.
With most grants now paid out, we’re starting to hear about the real impact this grant funding is having on the businesses who applied, with more good news stories to come!
Chimney Sheep - Over the past six years, Sally Phillips has purchased wool directly from local farmers. This helps ensure a constant supply and also means that farmers receive a better price. However, without proper storage facilities, coordinating the collection, processing, and haulage of wool was a logistical challenge.
To solve this, Sally planned to build a dedicated wool shed on Chimney Sheep’s premises in Workington. Having an on-site facility would allow the business to receive wool whenever farmers had it available, eliminating logistical bottlenecks.
Additionally, Sally wanted to invest in two key pieces of machinery: a wool press to make haulage more cost-effective by compacting wool and a wool pelleting machine, allowing for the recycling of waste wool into pellets which can be sold as a natural slug and snail deterrent for gardens and for retaining moisture in potted plants.
Sally received £59,894.32, covering 50% of the costs of the project which aims to:
“The grant application process was straightforward, and I was supported by one of Cumbria Business Growth Hub’s advisers. Any grant application requires pulling together a lot of information in a short time, but we managed it smoothly. This investment means we can operate far more efficiently and develop new products, ensuring that more Herdwick wool is put to good use. It also supports our goal of creating local jobs and making our supply chain more sustainable.”
Twoey - Twoey is a family business based in Wigton who design, manufacture and supply furniture & learning resources to the education sector.
In recent years, rising energy costs have posed a significant challenge for Twoey, with monthly electricity bills of between £3,000 and £4,000. Twoey’s processes rely on energy intensive equipment, including CNC machines, beam saws and a laser machine, so the business needed to find a way of bringing costs down.
For Business Director, Jess Cleaves, the answer lied in solar panels, using the factory’s large roof space to generate power.
For help funding the project, Jess contacted Cumbria Business Growth Hub and applied for a capital grant. After submitting the application Jess secured funding covering 50% of her costs. She then hired local company, Purdham and Waugh, based in Carlisle, who completed the installation on 8th January 2025.
Now fully up and running, the solar panels have had a transformative impact on Twoey. Monthly energy bills are now forecasted to be under £1,000 and the factory’s weekend downtime allows Twoey to sell surplus electricity back to the grid. These savings mean that the investment will pay for itself within 2-3 years!
Having significantly reduced its overheads, Twoey is able to invest in product development, offering new product ranges to its clients. Jess expects that this investment will lead to further growth and job openings in the near future.
Des Horner - With the grant money secured, Des purchased a larger, sturdier trailer from local dealer Allan Tuer. The new 8-foot by 5-foot trailer provided Des with the capacity and security to transport materials safely.
The new trailer has given Des the ability to take on larger projects such as fabricating safety rails for the Workington War Memorial, double driveway gates, farm gates, accessibility ramps and more!
“I enjoy creating things with my hands and providing customers with something unique at a reasonable price. The new trailer allows me to focus on my work, with the peace of mind that I can get the finished product to site safely and on time."
Ullswater eBikes - With the grant funding Steve was able to purchase a Unior electric bike stand, which is designed to take the extra weight of eBikes. He also purchased a ROWASHER parts washer which uses natural bioremediation to deep clean mechanical parts. This drastically reduces the waste fluid during bike servicing, allowing them to handle oil-based waste in an environmentally friendly way.
The impact of the new kit was felt immediately. It now takes Steve just 23 minutes to service an eBike and he barely needs any chemicals when cleaning! With the extra time saved, Steve can focus on maintaining the fleet whilst taking care of both the environment (and his back!).
Steve has also been able to start offering bike servicing to visitors. Cyclists, with both traditional and electric bikes, are able to come down off the fells, drop off their bikes with Steve and pop next door for a coffee. When they return, their bikes are cleaned, inspected and serviced ready to be taken home.
“The grant has given us the freedom to really focus on keeping our fleet in top shape and offer new services to customers. It’s hard to describe the level of difference it has made. At Ullswater eBikes it’s our goal to provide an alternative, more environmentally friendly mode of transport for visitors to the Lake District with the hope of a cleaner, greener, and less congested future for both our sons. With the new equipment afforded to us by the grant, we’ve been able to consolidate and start to grow our business while also introducing more sustainable business practices. Applying for the grant through Cumbria Business Growth Hub was an easy process from start to finish. The Growth Hub staff were there to help every step of the way with no pain at all!”
Lesley Robinson, Head of Business Support with Cumbria Chamber of Commerce is keen to ensure as many businesses as possible are supported with available grant funding. “It’s fantastic to see businesses like the above using grant funding to become more sustainable and cut costs to drive growth. Grant schemes like this have been transformational for businesses across Cumbria. We’re hopeful of follow-on funding opportunities later in the year, so I’d encourage any business thinking about investing in improvements to get in touch. The best way to stay informed is by signing up to our business support newsletter which is available at www.cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk.”
You can read the full stories here
