New grants to support young entrepreneurs
9th July 2019
Start-up businesses in the Outer Hebrides could receive a welcome injection of capital from a new joint initiative by Business Gateway Outer Hebrides and Highlands and Islands enterprise.
The Outer Hebrides Young Entrepreneur Start-Up Scheme (OHYESS), will provide grants of up to £2,500 to support entrepreneurs age 18-40 to set up businesses in key sectors across the Outer Hebrides.
OHYESS has been developed with funding support from HIE and will be delivered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar's Business Gateway team. The scheme is expected to run initially for two years from 1 July 2019.
It follows the recent success of the Outer Hebrides Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (OHYES). Established by the Comhairle to support and encourage young entrepreneurs, this ran for two years and supported 43 business start-ups.
Seas the Catch is one of the start-ups supported by an OHYES grant from Business Gateway Outer Hebrides.
Launched by three cousins who grew up fishing together on their fathers' boats off the coast of Harris, the firm supplies locally caught live lobster, crab, prawns and crayfish to eateries across the Highlands and Islands.
The trio - Neil MacLean and brothers, Iain and Stewart MacLean - land catch from five local boats and process the shellfish at Leverburgh Harbour in Harris before packing and shipping the live product to the mainland for consumption.
Rachel MacKenzie, HIE area manager in the Outer Hebrides, said:"One of the biggest challenges facing any new businesses is securing finance to cover initial capital costs. We are thrilled to partner with Business Gateway Outer Hebrides to provide financial support for OHYESS. The initiative will help support and strengthen the local economy through the creation of opportunities for young people – helping to reverse the trend of out-migration. I look forward to seeing the businesses supported by OHYESS develop and flourish over the next two years."
Neil MacLean, co-founder of Seas the Catch, commented:"The aim of Seas the Catch is to promote Scottish shellfish and in turn create jobs in Harris as the business grows. To be successful, we knew we needed to have a watertight business plan so turned to Business Gateway Outer Hebrides for advice. Our adviser, Fiona Chisholm, has been a great support. Not only did she help us look at things from a different point of view, but she also helped us to secure the crucial £3,000 OHYES grant that allowed us to transform a shipping container into a processing plant."
Councillor Donald Crichton, chair of Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar’s Sustainable Development Committee said:“Following the success of our original OHYES scheme, we are excited to embark on this unique joint initiative with HIE to launch OHYESS. Business Gateway Outer Hebrides has supported a record 72 start-up businesses in the past year so, with added financial support from HIE and the prospect of OHYESS grants, I hope we can continue to foster a supportive environment for new businesses and promote the Outer Hebrides as an outstanding place to live and work.”
To find out more about the Outer Hebrides Young Entrepreneur Start-Up Scheme (OHYESS), please contact Business Gateway Outer Hebrides on 01851 668 043 or visit www.bgateway.com.
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).
