Jobs and investment boost as trio of firms expand using Britain’s Energy Coast funding
Three West Cumbrian companies are to create and safeguard 26 jobs and plough more than £1 million into expansion thanks to awards made through the Britain’s Energy Coast (BEC) ‘Investing in Business’ programme.
The latest businesses to benefit will share almost £200,000 in grants. Tweddle Engineering is using the funding to expand their workshop facilities near Wigton, Jacksons Timber to open new premises at Calder Bridge, whilst McGrady Engineering will invest in new plant and equipment to expand its site in Whitehaven.
The Investing in Business programme utilises £5.6m of funding from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund and a further £1m from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). It targets businesses involved in manufacturing, processing, engineering or fabrication activities, as well as tourism attractions, looking to create jobs by investing in fixed assets such as buildings, plant and equipment or for research and development.
Iain Hook, RGF Programme Manager at Britain’s Energy Coast, said: “This latest round of funding is helping more local high calibre businesses to expand and create jobs, and in the process unlock over £1m of private sector investment. It is clear the Investing in Business programme is forming an important part of BEC’s comprehensive business support service which is designed to help West Cumbrian businesses to grow and prosper.”
The award of £83,000 to Tweddle Engineering is part of a wider £300,000 investment by the company to build new workshop facilities for stainless steel fabrication and machining at its Kirkbride Airfield base. Five new jobs will be created and four existing welding jobs secured within the existing 20-strong workforce.
Tweddle Engineering was established in 1988 by Derek Tweddle, with origins in the manufacture and adaptation of agricultural equipment. Expanding, they diversified into material handling equipment and pressure vessels. More recently they have diversified further, gaining work in the nuclear sector, and have already secured contracts for work well into 2014. This is set to develop further, thanks to the expansion of its capabilities and support from BEC’s Energy Opportunities Supply Chain programme.
Derek Tweddle, Director of Tweddle Engineering, said “The funding from Britain’s Energy Coast to expand our facilities and workforce is crucial to the continued diversification of the business. We have a strong and wide-ranging demand across the sectors we work in, but the opportunity to increase our capabilities for specialist and stainless steel fabrication is something we are eager to grab.”
Whitehaven-based Jacksons Timber provides a range of timber and joinery supplies and boasts a dedicated roof truss and joist engineering plant. It has secured a £80,000 funding award towards the £1 million cost of developing a new depot at Calder Bridge which will include a storage building, a showroom, workshop and office facilities. The new depot will incorporate a biomass boiler for heating, powered using their own timber off-cuts, whilst solar panels will be installed for power. When combined with timber stock that is 100% certified from renewable sources, it will become one of the most eco-friendly timber yards in the country. The expansion will create seven new jobs and safeguard one.
Paul Mossop, Director of Jacksons Timber, said “The development of the Calder Bridge site is strategically important due to the proximity of Sellafield, providing a great base to serve its site contractors efficiently and effectively. We’re delighted with the support we have received from BEC to make this possible, not just in terms of the grant, but throughout the application process and with the overall finance package assisted by BEC’s partner Access to Finance.”
Meanwhile, McGrady Engineering, also based at Whitehaven, has been awarded £28,000 towards a £83,000 investment to boost its capacity with the purchase of additional plant and equipment, including an overhead crane.
George McGrady, Director of McGrady Engineering, said “Looking back over the last 18 months we have turned down a substantial amount of business due to capacity constraints. The funding from BEC combined with our recent factory extension will put us in a great position to service this work and grow our business, creating and saving nine jobs. The funding is a great addition to the support we have also received from BEC’s Energy Opportunities Supply Chain Project.”
Brian Hough, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Socio Economic Manager, said “It is fantastic to see that the number of companies benefiting from the NDA’s support of the Investing in Business programme continues to grow and gain pace, with the programme becoming a major catalyst for investment and job creation, helping to build a more prosperous West Cumbria.”
Councillor Hugh Branney, portfolio holder for community regeneration, said “We are delighted that two Copeland firms have been successful in gaining this funding. This means they can invest in their businesses and take on more work, which is good for them and the local economy. We would encourage more businesses to look into the benefits of applying for this kind of financial help.”
Businesses of any size, including start-ups, currently operating in Allerdale or Copeland and looking to invest in the area are eligible to apply for grants through the Investing in Business programme which forms part of a comprehensive business support and corporate finance service provided by Britain’s Energy Coast.
The deadline for full applications to the Investing in Business programme has recently been extended to January 31, 2014. For more details visit www.britainsenergycoast.co.uk/investing-business.
