Gateshead Business Resilience Fund supports 42 small businesses during pandemic

The Gateshead Business Resilience Fund has assisted 42 small businesses with recovery support, totalling £80,000.

The programme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Gateshead Goes Local Community Development Fund was secured by Gateshead Council and managed by UMI.

Launched in early March as the Go for Growth programme, the scheme quickly underwent a re-brand following Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and was relaunched as the Gateshead Business Resilience Fund to help businesses access support or diversify.

The fund was well received and within three months it was oversubscribed. 

42 grant offer letters to the value of £80,000 have been issued and this money will go towards supporting a wide range of businesses with their survival/growth plans.

Grants have been awarded for: tools and machinery so businesses can explore different markets; web design and consultancy support to take shops online to improve business sustainability; and for building work so businesses can implement social distancing measures.

Other grants recipients include a theatre and dance school; a counselling and psychotherapy service who required laptops, tablets and software to enable them to continue to trade virtually; and to a fashion and design company so they could purchase equipment to create and shoot a virtual runway.

More information

Gateshead Council's Business Gateshead team bid for £80,000 of ERDF Revenue through the CLLD Gateshead Goes Local Programme to create a match funded grants programme for SMEs located within the Gateshead Goes Local CLLD catchment area. Businesses could access up to 50% grant funding towards business' growth projects costing between £2,000 and £10,000 (maximum grant of £5,000).