Help is at hand for business through Marches Growth Hub
Businesses in Shropshire are being urged to discover funding options available to them as the cost of trading continues to rise.
As the UK heads into recession, the Marches Growth Hub is urging start-ups, sole traders and established businesses to investigate support on offer to help them survive and thrive.
The Marches Growth Hub is the business support service of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership. The hub boasts the region’s largest searchable directory of business support via the marchesgrowthhub.co.uk and works with local authority teams in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin to deliver direct help to businesses on the ground.
Businesses supported in 2022 include Bridgnorth’s WormSoil and Telford start-up MassTech Solutions.
Luke and Steph Boxall launched their Worm Soil business – thought to be the only one of its kind in the UK – from a smallholding, selling sells bags of natural, eco-friendly fertiliser and soil improver produced by around 100,000 worms from their four acre plot.
And Luke says the business would never have got off the ground without the help of the Marches Growth Hub – the business support service of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership.
Luke said: “I will be eternally grateful for discovering the Marches Growth Hub when I did – literally every piece of advice and support that has enabled Worm Soil to launch is because of this incredible service.”
Nathan Farlow started MassTech Solutions after being made redundant. The start-up specialises in the manufacture of precision engineered components for scientific instruments and equipment. The company recently received £7,200 Business Growth Programme 2 (BGP2) grant support to purchase capital equipment.
He added: “I heard about the funding from the Marches Growth Hub, so I contacted them directly and they put me in touch with Enterprise Telford. We began the process of going through our requirements, what we needed funding for, which then led us to the BGP.
“Further support I received from the Marches Growth Hub was via a Step Up programme with Good 2 Great. Pre-start-up, it was weekly sessions of business mentoring. I found that extremely useful, especially while I was going through the process of initiating the business.
“My advice for companies looking for additional support is, get in touch with the Marches Growth Hub, look at what’s available and take whatever help is available to you. At the end of the day, it’s going to help the business.”
The Marches Growth Hub offers FREE support and guidance to businesses. Visit marchesgrowthhub.co.uk or contact enquiries@marchesgrowthhub.co.uk
