Scottish wedding sector supported by £25million fund
22nd March 2021
Over 2,800 businesses which operate within the Scottish wedding industry have been supported by £25.9million worth of funding to help survive the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
A total of 2,811 eligible firms received a share of the Scottish Wedding Industry Fund, which was provided by the Scottish Government and administered by a partnership of South of Scotland Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
The fund aimed to help businesses whose main income comes from the Scottish wedding industry to survive the pandemic and then restart once restrictions ease, thus protecting jobs.
The Scottish Wedding Industry Fund was fully allocated within four weeks of opening on 28 January, with each enterprise agency receiving positive feedback from a number of eligible businesses.
Carroll Buxton, deputy chief executive, HIE, said:"The wedding industry is an important part of our tourism and hospitality sector, which has been particularly hard hit over the past year. The Scottish Wedding Industry Fund has provided crucial support to more than 250 businesses in the Highlands and Islands.
"This has helped them through an extremely difficult time and strengthened their position as we work on recovery."
South of Scotland Enterprise chair, Russel Griggs OBE said:
"At this most challenging time, the Scottish Wedding Industry Fund has provided crucial support to almost 3,000 businesses across Scotland.
"The success of this fund has been the result of strong partnership working between the three enterprise agencies, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Wedding Industry Alliance.
"All of Scotland's enterprise agencies, including South of Scotland Enterprise, are here to help businesses across all sectors throughout the ongoing pandemic, with support and advice available via the Find Business Support website."
Scottish Enterprise interim CEO Linda Hanna added:“The Scottish Wedding Industry Fund was created in a remarkably short time frame to ensure we could get the funding into the hands of businesses that needed it quickly and efficiently.
“Many of the businesses we've helped are vulnerable SMEs that rely on the wedding sector for their livelihoods and they've told us this funding will ease some immediate financial challenges for them.
“The wedding fund is another example of how we and our partners are working to address the immediate economic impact of Covid-19 while preparing to help businesses recover and rebuild."
More information on business support available in Scotland can be viewed at https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/
PHOTO
Carroll Buxton, deputy chief executive, HIE
Photographer Gillian Frampton/HIE)
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Shell-volution is an ambitious industry-wide initiative supported by the public sector and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) which has been awarded £4.4 million of investment from the UK Government as part of the Islands Growth Deal. This innovative, ground-breaking project is set to transform shellfish aquaculture, bringing sustainable growth and additional quality jobs in mussel farming, based on detailed investigations (mapping and monitoring) and creating a model for improving security and reliability of wild spat recruitment, through industry best practice.
A Nairn-based foundry, which has achieved international recognition for its larger-than-life bronze castings has invested in a £200,000 expansion to help it reach greater heights. An award of £60,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has helped Black Isle Bronze to improve infrastructure and purchase equipment to extend the range of projects the firm can undertake.
Young businesses and social enterprises in the Highlands and Islands looking to increase productivity, innovation and employment can apply for funding from HIE. The fourth round of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) Young Business Capital Grant (YBCG) is now open to businesses that have been trading for less than five years with up to 250 full-time equivalent employees.
Ambitious young businesspeople in the Highlands and Islands have just one more chance to benefit from a tailored support programme. IMPACT30 was launched by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in 2018 to help nurture and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.
The winners of the Highlands and Islands Food & Drink Awards (HIFAD) 2024 were announced on Friday 1 November at a prestigious ceremony at the Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness. Supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the awards celebrate the talent, quality and diversity across food, drink and hospitality in the Highlands and Islands.
A family run engineering fabrication firm in Caithness is investing in a project to improve productivity, grow business turnover and create new jobs. Gow's Lybster Limited has been working with development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) over several years to develop its growth plans.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will return to Norway to host the Scottish Pavilion at Aqua Nor 2025. The Scottish aquaculture supply chain is invited to register their interest to exhibit as part of the pavilion or join the wider Scottish delegation.
A young engineer working on Britain's deepest nuclear clean-up project has been recognised by the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). Liam Gordon (27) won the Young Chemical Engineer of the Year award at the annual showcase event of the Aberdeen branch of IChemE, the professional body for chemical engineers in the UK.
Food and Drink TechHUB will provide financial and advice support to help businesses, including social and community enterprises, with commercial growth and net zero transition activities. Small to medium sized enterprises in the Highland Council area that operate in the food and drink sector and its supply chain are expected to benefit from a new programme of support launched his week.
Businesses and social enterprises in the Highlands and Islands looking to reduce the environmental impacts of their operations can now apply to a new Green Grant Fund launched on Thursday 26 September 2024. The three-year £2.7m fund was developed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
