How are your Jubilee weekend preparations coming along, Colchester? Will you be amongst the bunting bunnies at Castle Park for the Colchester Borough Council Jubilee beacon ceremony, or will you be back at The Twist for the BIG re-opening weekend along Military Road?
Or even both?
Blimey.
But it’s not all about bunting and booze. Back to work on Wednesday means that not only are the See You Next Tuesday jokes curtailed, but also a stark reminder the hyperlocal economy carries on, Jubilee celebrations or not.
Party poopers? Us?
Pah.
There is some connection however, with CBC offering up Jubilee grants for any Colchester based business that has been trading for three years or less. We can’t quite see the Jubilee specific connection here at The Chronic, but any wonga that is doing the rounds for the hyperlocal economy has to be a half decent thing.
£18k is available in total – not to be sniffed at in these times of local authority austerity. A figure of £1,000 per hyperlocal business is being mooted around as the amount that you can apply for.
Working with local organisation Paper Mountain Solutions, CBC suggest that the grants can be used for training, specialist mentoring, research of new markets, export licensing, software or matched investment in equipment.
Here at The Chronic and we know of at least one new start up that fits the bill perfectly.
Also getting on his bike to help out the hyperlocal economy [seamless] is Councillor Paul Smith, the Portfolio Holder for Business and Resources.
Cllr Smith commented:
“Small to medium sized businesses are a driving force in the Colchester economy. The Council is committed to helping local businesses start up and grow. The Jubilee Fund is one of a number of initiatives we are taking to assist with this. We would encourage any interested businesses to apply as soon as possible”
The deadline for applications is 14th September. It’s not first come, first served, but the gazelle that wakes up early knows that it must run faster than the lion, else it will be killed.
The Chronic once read a small business manual.
It was rubbish.
You can make a speculative enquiry to Paper Mountain Solutions via email, or give them a friendly call about the funding on 0844 826 0579.
