North West organisations to boost startups and job creation with NatWest funding

Four organisations in the North West have secured a share of NatWest’s £2.5m Skills and Opportunities Fund.

Business support service providers Bubble Enterprises in the Moss Side area of Manchester, Swinton-based Antz Junction, Morecambe’s North Lancs Enterprise and the Liverpool-based Women’s Organisation have all been awarded a slice of the fund.

Bubble Enterprises received more than £21.6k to drive its Pod Digital programme, through which 50 prospective entrepreneurs can take part in a six-week enterprise engagement programme. After the programme, five young entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to work with retailers to create a digital platform and promote their businesses.

The firm’s director, Sue Dixon, said: “We are delighted to win the award from NatWest to start up Pod Digital in Moss Side, which we hope will help support and grow local businesses and the good work entrepreneurs are doing in their communities in Manchester.”

Elsewhere, North Lancs Enterprise will use just over £17k from the NatWest fund to give 40 people from the Morecambe and Fleetwood areas the chance to set up their own businesses.

North Lancs Enterprise’s director, Nic Vandzhyra, said: “The funding from NatWest will enable us to continue in our work impacting people in disadvantaged communities.

“We want to inspire them to create their own lifestyle businesses and help them to become economically independent.”

Antz Junction, meanwhile, was given £25k to plough into its Work Ready programme, which aims to get disadvantaged young people from across Salford and Bolton into employment.

The organisation’s bid and operations manager, Mark Linnell, commented: “The staff are all thrilled to receive this funding because it will help us to develop our projects and increase the number of people whom we can support.

“The funding will enable us to employ a further facilitator and deliver 12 extra Work Ready courses during the period January 2016 to June 2017.”

The Women’s Organisation was also handed a cut of the £2.5m pot. The organisation received a £29k boost for its #IamEnterprising programme, a business skills bootcamp and virtual incubator launched to support 400 young people from deprived areas of the Liverpool City Region and help them start businesses and create jobs.

The winners were picked from a shortlist of 15 by judges from NatWest’s North Regional Stakeholders Board.

Heather Waters, a member of the board, said: “We are delighted to be able to help 12 very diverse and worthy winners across North of England with a share of this funding.

“Bubble Enterprises, Antz Junction, North Lancs Enterprise and The Women’s Organisation are helping people from a variety of background realise their ambitions. They are all great programmes which benefit those directly involved as well as their wider community, and we wish them every success for the future.”

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