Project celebrates success after £2million is invested into the County

Since its launch in 2020, grant funding worth over £800,000 has been awarded to local businesses to fund growth projects. From these projects, businesses have invested a further £1.2 million, contributing to business growth in the economy. 

The Elevate Programme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Worcestershire County Council, and the District Councils, was an exclusive offer to established businesses with growth ambitions to take their businesses to the next level. 

The support which included tailored consultancy advice and support, also helped businesses to develop a detailed growth plan on which to base their grant-funded project. 

Businesses on the programme have created 100 new jobs. Feedback has been extremely positive with 98% recommending the project to others, and 92% rating the programme as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’.

Councillor Marc Bayliss, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy, Infrastructure and Skills, said: “This programme has been a huge success, not just for the businesses but for our local economy. With what have been a turbulent few years since the programme's launch, I am very proud to see the resilience and strength of our local businesses that have not only adapted, but flourished in such a challenging environment.”

At the end of April, local businesses that completed the programme came together to celebrate their achievements. 

The businesses were joined by Mark Wright, winner of the BBC Apprentice in 2014, who originally launched the programme in January 2020. 

Mark gave a motivational talk on scaling businesses, discussed the importance of a growth mindset, and touched on exploiting opportunities and adapting to changing scenarios. 

Business owners, Ania Naughton from The Magic Tractor, and Sara Owrid from Calderhead Refrigerated Transport shared their successes from the programme and explained how it had contributed to their business growth.

Mark Wright, Director of Wrighton Property and BBC Apprentice Winner 2014, said: "I have been truly honoured to support Worcestershire County Council's Elevate Growth programme from day one. As someone who understands the importance of knowledge and support in achieving success, I was thrilled to see the programme provide Worcestershire businesses with a 360-degree approach to improving their business through detailed tools and strategies. Congratulations to everyone involved!"

One business to benefit from the support is The Name Label Company, the support helped the business to fund improvements to their website, e-commerce capability, manufacturing hardware and software to increase production capacity.  Matt Busby, Director of The Name Label Company, said: “The Elevate Programme for us has been fantastic, I think I would go as to far to say it is the best programme I have ever been involved in.”

Worcestershire County Council is committed to investing in local businesses and aims to provide direct support, advice and guidance to businesses seeking growth. Unlocking a business’s potential is vital in attracting further investment throughout the county. 

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