Following the success of the first Here2Help Business Programme, Worcestershire County Council has launched phase two, with funding aimed at supporting the recovery and future resilience of local business impacted by the COVID pandemic.
This new package of support has been introduced to help businesses within the county to recover and grow, with new grant funding available across a variety of sectors. Phase one of the Here2Help programme was launched during 2020 as a direct result of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been able to support numerous Worcestershire businesses.
The new Here2Help 2.0 Business programme offers three areas of business support:
- Grants (Sustain and Grow, Graduate Recruitment and also Tourism focused)
- Consultancy
- Seminars
Below you can find a brief summary of the new support offer and how a business can get involved in the programmes.
Business Support Grants
There are three new grants available, these are
- Sustain and Grow – Up to £15,000 is available to eligible Worcestershire SMEs operating B2B
- Graduate Recruitment – Eligible businesses can benefits from a grant which covers 40% of the gross salary costs for the first 6 months to a maximum of £5000.
- Tourism – Grants alongside funded consultancy support and dedicated support webinars
The sustain and Grow and Graduate Recruitment grants are available to all eligible Worcestershire SMEs operating in a Business to Business(B2B) capacity.
For tourism businesses, £15K is also available to help with visitor attractions, activities or experiences and accommodation. Alongside this there is fully funded one to one consultancy is available for tourism businesses looking for advice and guidance on any aspect of growing the business, maximising footfall, productivity and profit. Consultancy sessions may also be used to identify a key investment project and prepare a grant application to help with funding.
As mentioned there are two tourism specific online webinars during November that are fully funded under the new Here2Help programme. The first webinar is on 9th November, focusing on Maximising profits. The second is on 24th November, looking at how to diversify and create new revenue streams.
To find out more and book your space on either of these webinars, visit the County Council website here. – https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20908/here2help_business_adapt_-_tourism_business_support
For more information and to apply for the new Here2Help Business support programmes, contact our team using the details below.
Visit our Website or call 01905 677888