50 Plus Jobs Supported By HIE In Caithness And Sutherland In 2023
23rd August 2024
As a result of HIE's support, businesses in the area are set to see combined turnover rise by £22.4m, while international sales will grow by £661,000.
Figures compiled by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) show that businesses and communities supported by the agency in Caithness and Sutherland during last financial year are set to create or retain more than 50 jobs.
HIE's outturns for 2023/24 were achieved through a combination of financial and non-financial interventions by the agency.
They included investments of more than £1.1m in 26 projects with a combined total cost of £4.05m. The organisation also helped to attract almost £2.5m in external investment.
As a result of HIE's support, businesses in the area are set to see combined turnover rise by £22.4m, while international sales will grow by £661,000.
HIE's support for social enterprises, meanwhile, is forecast to bring about a £480,000 uplift in the social economy.
There was also support for businesses across the patch to innovate, diversify, grow and create new jobs.
They included a £94,700 approval for Reid's Bakery in Thurso towards the cost of specialised equipment. An expansion project by GMG Energy Limited in Sutherland was awarded £65,200 and a £250,000 investment was approved to help Dunnet Bay Distillers Ltd establish a whisky distillery within the Castletown Mill.
Community led initiatives receiving investment support included £250,000 towards the £4.9m renovation of the John O’ Groats Mill by the John O’ Groats Mill Trust.
The Assynt Development Trust, Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust and the Scourie Community Development Company all received support to deliver local benefits.
Eann Sinclair, HIE area manager for Caithness and Sutherland, said, "It was great to be able to support so many business and community projects across Caithness and Sutherland last year. It was equally pleasing to see the recent completion of the £2.7m project to create small business units at Wick Business Park, and the encouraging progress with the ground infrastructure at Sutherland Spaceport near Tongue.
"We remain ambitious in the current year and continue to challenge ourselves to identify and pursue more economic opportunities as they arise. That’s what our five-year strategy, launched last year, is all about and we look forward to continuing to work with our partners, businesses and communities to secure further economic benefits for the area."
PHOTO
Eann Sinclair, HIE area manager for Caithness and Sutherland Photographer Angus Mackay/HIE
Related Businesses
Related Articles
A sand mining company in Lochaber is set to double its production and increase annual turnover by more than £2.6m. Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited (LQS) has secured up to £230,000 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards the £855,000 costs of upgrading equipment on site.
The newly appointed head of business growth for Highlands and Island Enterprise (HIE) in Argyll and the Islands is to focus on expanding the agency's portfolio of business clients. Liam Orr, originally from Benderloch near Oban, took up the post in early December and leads HIE’s business growth team across an area covering Argyll and Bute, Arran and the Cumbraes.
An Aviemore-based adventure tourism operator has made significant progress in sustainability over the past two years by investing in e-bikes, e-vehicles and a carbon labelling system. Wilderness Scotland has reduced its scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by 16 percent through its commitment to business decarbonisation.
The funicular railway at Cairngorm Mountain looks set to be back in action towards the end of December or early in the new year. Contractor Balfour Beatty has confirmed that, weather permitting, its current programme of remediation works on the viaduct that supports the railway is due to finish in the next week to 10 days, after which teams working for the company plan to demobilise from the mountainside.
Fetcha Chocolates is investing in new equipment to quadruple its capacity, increase turnover and create employment. An Argyll based chocolate manufacturer is investing in new equipment to quadruple its capacity, increase turnover and create employment.
Is your young business ready for the next step?. The Young Business Capital Grant helps young businesses and social enterprises (under 5 years old) invest in projects that stimulate growth.
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.
An article in Holyrood media yesterday 15 November 2024 highlights previously named carbuncle towns such as John O'Groats and the transformation taking place. We are striving to make John O'Groats world-class," says Andrew Mowat, "and we're getting there." or years, the Caithness village traded on its location on the northernmost edge of the UK mainland.
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.
