Welcome from Strategic Director of Communities, Mark Ryder
Hello and welcome to the November edition of Warwickshire Means Business.
This month we are delighted to celebrate a very special milestone for one of Warwickshire County Council's most successful business support schemes.
The Small Capital Grants programme, created in 2015 to assist small and micro businesses with their growth plans, recently supported its 100th business - NPF Bassetts Pole Adventure Park, in North Warwickshire.
The scheme is a real, enduring success story which over the years has awarded grants amounting to £2,288,844 which, in turn have triggered private sector match funding of £4,466,679. On top of this, a further £1.8million private sector investment is anticipated.
We have such a wonderful and diverse range of small businesses in Warwickshire and it is great to know that so many have been helped by this scheme to recruit and grow in the County. I congratulate every one of these enterprises and also our teams at WCC who have worked so hard and diligently to expedite the grants. A fantastic effort.
The Small Capital Grants scheme is just one element of the plethora of business support available from Warwickshire County Council and our partners in the region. In this edition of WMB, we report on the transformational impact of the Local Communities and Enterprise Fund on CAE Tech and how Project Warwickshire has galvanised growth for Barbell Training Complex. We hear how Community Skills Hubs are supporting jobseekers and we celebrate the great achievements of Accelerate to help those with disadvantages to enter the workplace.
Rugby is first to be featured in our new Talk Up Our Towns series which over the coming months will highlight the appeal of all our wonderful towns across the county. Would you like your town to be featured next? Please do let us know.
Despite the many challenges facing us, it was pleasing to hear at the recent Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce annual conference that, there remains a real sense of optimism among business leaders. Here at Warwickshire County Council we will continue to do everything we can to offer support. Please visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/business-support to see how we can help you.
Mark