New £20k fund launched to support Yorkshire hospitality business recovery

A Yorkshire organisation has announced that it is launching a £20k fund to help boost retail and hospitality businesses recover from lockdown.

First York is launching the York Restart Fund, making £20k available to help small businesses in retail, leisure and hospitality boost their recovery from the impact of lockdown.

The York Restart Fund will provide £1k to 15 successful applicants, with the remaining £5k shared between three businesses who come out on top in a people’s vote.

The purpose of the fund is to support plans by independent owners and small firms in consumer sectors to grow their customer base as non-essential retail and hospitality re-opens in the coming weeks. It has the support of the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) in North Yorkshire.

Marc Bichtemann, First York’s managing director, commented: “Thriving, successful independent small businesses on the streets of the city and our outlying communities will be a vital and uplifting part of York’s recovery from lockdown.

“We want to help owners with ideas and plans as they reopen by giving them a financial boost to realise their ambitions.

“We are really pleased the FSB has joined us in launching the York Restart Fund. Its guidance in creating an easy application process to identify strong business ideas has been invaluable.

“I would encourage York’s small business owners to get thinking how the Fund could help them and submit an entry quickly.

“There is not long to get applications in as we want to be able to make the awards in May to help businesses put their plans into action.”

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