A provider of interest-free loans to aspiring and existing business owners within Leicestershire and Rutland since 1542, The Sir Thomas White Loan Charity (STWLC) has today announced that it will be supporting 14 businesses through its 2022 grant scheme, with a total allocation of £50,850 to be delivered.
With awarded grants ranging from values between £300 and £5,000, businesses from Market Harborough, Melton Mowbray, Shepshed, Syston, Sileby, Coalville, Wigston, Kibworth, Narborough, Birstall and Barrow Upon Soar were successful in their applications to the Charity.
Through the grant scheme, these businesses – which include a musician, café, gardener, beauty industry, artist, and digital marketer – will now be able to use the funding to support their ongoing development, with the grants enabling funding for equipment, business premises refurbishment, support with marketing and much more.
Following a hugely successful pilot business grant scheme in 2021, STWLC has ensured further support be delivered in the same way this year, as the country continues to recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Its successful grant scheme provides an additional opportunity for one of the city’s oldest charities to help more businesses at what has been an unprecedented period. Whereas the charity’s interest-free business loans are to be repaid, these grants of up to £5,000 require no repayment by recipients at all.
Based at Friar’s Mill in the heart of Leicester city centre, STWLC provides unique interest-free loans to the value of £20,000 to new and existing businesses in Leicestershire and Rutland to aid start-up or development.
With no interest to pay on loans over a nine-year period and a three-year break before repayments commence, STWLC’s support has helped a number of well-known businesses within the county, including Barrie Stephen Hair whose owner, Barrie Stephen, is patron of the charity.
Kimberley Allen, a recipient of a STWLC grant, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded a grant towards the cost of acquiring a new piece of machinery. We hope that this will help us to continue to grow and serve our customers, across Leicestershire, for many years to come.”
Another grant recipient, Emma Pymm, added: “I launched Tylino Therapies in October 2020 after taking redundancy. Due to the restrictions of opening a close contact service during the pandemic, I have not been able to meet my full vision until this grant has provided me with the opportunity to attend more training to grow my Massage and Holistic Therapies business, and be able to offer additional treatments and products to support physical and mental wellbeing.”
Victoria Hudson, owner of Vicky’s Lash Lab, who has also been successful in a grant application, added: “Recently, I received a grant from STWLC to support my growing business. This will have a huge impact on my business. This grant will enable me to buy up-to-date equipment to keep in time with the trends, and give me a sense of security for work, which is a huge positive being self-employed, but also for my clients. This gives me the opportunity to expand my knowledge by doing more courses and keeping my skills up to date.”
Ammo Khan, Trustee at STWLC leading the grants scheme, said: “Following the success of last year’s pilot scheme, it’s fantastic to see our grant scheme supporting so many businesses across all four corners of our county. This year, we received 234 applicants totalling over £1million in grant requests, which demonstrates the appetite Leicestershire businesses have for growth and development following a challenging period of time – and we’re thrilled to be playing a part in their journey. I had the pleasure of speaking with many of our grant recipients from last year’s scheme and it was clear to see what difference the funding was able to make, so I’m looking forward to seeing similar results again this time around.”
To stay up to date with the latest information and application windows for STWLC’s business grants, please visit our website.