BUSINESSES in York are being urged to make the most of a Business Grant Programme after it has created 130 jobs in the region.

The scheme, which will come to an end in five months, has been taken up by 13 businesses in the region, leading to new job creation.

Run by the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership, the programme was set up with money from the Regional Growth Fund to support business growth that creates jobs.

The programme is targeted at small, medium and micro businesses and covers the capital costs of up to 20 per cent of a project in grants ranging from £5,000 to £1million.

Thirsk Furniture, which secured one of the £5,000 grants, put the funds towards the purchase of a new CnC router which allows the firm to make higher quality products faster meaning it can take on new work and grow its team with a new member of staff.

On the larger scale, the Great Yorkshire Brewery, at Cropton, needed to drastically expand in order to meet the growing international demand for its products.

With the business having export markets in China, Japan and South Africa, the fund contributed £150,000 towards an expansion that’s expected to create 17 new jobs.

David Kerfoot, vice chairman of the Local Enterprise Partnership said: “The challenges that rural small and micro businesses face means that they need support that can address those issues. That’s why we’ve fought to support small-scale projects and have a dedicated fund manager. If businesses do want to expand and do want our support, now’s the time for them to get in touch.”

To find out more visit www.businessinspiredgrowth.com/bgp