Moves to help businesses across Herefordshire gain access to new sources of finance will take an important step forward at a special workshop next month.
The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership wants to bring together anyone with an interest in finance for small business to help it develop a strategy to raise awareness of the funding streams available.
LEP board member Paul Kalinauckas said the workshop was being held at the Marches Growth Hub Herefordshire’s base at Skylon Court on June 20 and was part of moves to establish an Access to Finance Group for the Marches as a whole.
Mr Kalinauckas – the LEP’s Access to Finance champion – said there was now a growing range of funding available for small and micro businesses if they knew where to look.
“One of the main purposes of the workshop is to discuss ways in which the Marches LEP can increase the promotion of the wide range of finance options available and to come up with an outline strategy for the LEP board to consider.
“Anyone with an interest in Access to Finance for small businesses is welcome to attend to give their input and share ways in which we can help our companies get the right funding at the right time to help them to grow.”
Mr Kalinauckas said the workshop followed on from a successful Access to Finance summit held in Hereford last month.
“One of the outcomes of the summit was a small group of willing volunteers prepared to join an Access to Finance Group.
“The remit of the group is to support the LEP as a consultative group for Access to Finance policy development, raise awareness of finance initiatives to support economic growth and help the Marches Growth Hub to refer businesses to the most appropriate schemes.”
The Access to Finance Strategic Workshop would look at the issues with the hope of drafting an outline strategy for the LEP board and forming an advisory group, he added.
To register your interest in attending the workshop – which runs from 10am to 12.30pm – go to www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/access-to-finance-strategy-workshop-tickets-62194604737