New enterprise hub to help Westmorland and Furness businesses unlock a cleaner, greener future
A hub to help Cumbrian businesses and social enterprises plan for a greener future has been launched.
The Westmorland & Furness Green Enterprise Hub helpdesk is now open and providing initial advice to organisations about potential carbon reduction measures, and which of the hub’s free and subsidised support options would be most helpful for them.
The Westmorland & Furness Green Enterprise Hub is open to any industry sector, including the third sector, hospitality, manufacturing, retail and transport to name a few. It is being led by Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) as part of an innovative delivery partnership, with support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Westmorland and Furness Council. The W & F Green Enterprise Hub has received £571,359 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
It’s a chance for both businesses and social enterprises to receive free or subsidised tailored advice, training and support, and to apply for grants of up to £10,000, making the move to low carbon practices and technologies more affordable.
CAfS’ Programme Manager, Molly Hogg, comments: “It is so important that we all play our role in helping to contribute positively to tackle the climate emergency. The Green Enterprise Hub is a fantastic opportunity to empower businesses and social enterprises to make the right choices, helping to unlock the benefits of a cleaner and greener future.”
There are a number of online and face-to-face training, peer support and drop-in opportunities to take part in, in January and February. These include Future Fixers CIC popular Peer Support sessions and Purposeful Business Start-up Programme, and CAfS Carbon Literacy training course. They can all be booked online through the W & F Green Enterprise Hub website.
Lesley Robinson, Head of Business Support, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, adds: “We are very excited to launch the new grant scheme as part of the hub, enabling local businesses to act on the Hub’s advice and take steps towards decarbonisation. It’s fantastic news that there’s been such an interest in these grants already and we are delighted to be able to support local organisations to deliver low carbon projects. The Grants Scheme can support SMEs and social enterprises across a wide range of sectors and we look forward to assessing the potential projects.”
Examples of projects that may be funded include: renewable energy technologies, such as solar panels, solar thermal and associated electrical battery or heat storage; improvements to the thermal fabric of buildings, such as additional insulation and window thermal upgrades; and upgrades to heating and equipment, to improve energy efficiency and make the transition from fossil-fuels. Organisations can also apply for grants for activities such as training and research.
The hub helpdesk is now open and can be contacted by telephone: 01768 210 276 or email: greenhub@cafs.org.uk
The W & F Green Enterprise Hub team will be on hand to answer questions at the first of our series of inspiring networking events in Kendal Town Hall on Thursday 7th March, 5.30pm – 8.00pm. You can sign up for updates and find out more at www.cafs.org.uk/greenhub
Applications for the small grants scheme are now open at W&F Green Enterprise Hub – Cumbria Growth Hub
