Warehouse premises on West of England Growth Fund

June 6, 2013
A Bristol business leader has given his backing to an ambitious campaign which aims to kick-start growth in the economy in the area. The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership has launched the Going for Growth campaign with the help of a £25 million grant from the Regional Growth Fund and the Bristol Post is backing the drive.

Graham Randall from accountancy firm BDO (pictured) believes the campaign could be exactly what is needed to get the economy moving not just in Bristol but also in the surrounding area.

The aim is to award grants of between £10,000 and £1 million to firms in the area looking to grow or expand but are struggling to access the necessary funding by traditional means. The grants have to be matched funded and successful applicants also have to prove they are creating or safeguarding jobs.

Mr Randall said: “Even though there are signs of the start of a recovery the market and the general economy is still struggling to get back on its feet. Bristol and the immediate area is in a strong position as the business community is still in a relatively healthy condition, there are also plenty of examples of good businesses out there. However, there is still a sense of frustration at the lack of movement in the market at such a vital time.”

He added: “If we want to get the economy moving we need to give business and companies as much help as possible.”

Source: South West Business

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