Boost puts 700 Lancashire businesses on growth path

More than 700 Lancashire businesses are on the path to growth after being signed up to Boost Business Lancashire, the county’s £7.2m business growth hub.

The service, which launched last June, offers access to a range of free and part-funded business support programmes to help ambitious and growing businesses in areas such as leadership, mentoring, innovation, skills and access to finance.

Boost aims to grow the county’s economy by £20m, create at least 1,200 new jobs and safeguard 700 more by 2015. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) has provided £3.6m in funding towards Boost which is being delivered by Lancashire County Council and five delivery partners.

Andy Walker, head of business growth and innovation for Lancashire County Council, said: “We have been inundated with enquiries from Lancashire’s growing businesses and this latest milestone shows just how much growth potential there is in the county. Those companies that have been accepted onto Boost programmes are benefitting from world-class business advice tailored to meet their needs.”

Boost Business Lancashire is being delivered through a partnership between Lancashire County Council, Community & Business Partners, Lancaster University, Regenerate Pennine Lancashire, University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and Winning Pitch. £3.6m has been provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Boost offers a range of services, some 100% funded, some part-funded, including:

• Growth Mentoring by Community & Business Partners; providing high-growth mentoring support through successful business leaders who have already worked through similar challenges.
• Lancashire Forum; an exclusive leadership peer-to-peer networking and development programme run by Lancaster University.
• Lancashire LEAP; led by Winning Pitch and Regenerate Pennine Lancashire, providing advice to pre-start and early start (1-3 year-old) businesses.
• UCLan’s Innovation Clinic; aimed at supporting advanced manufacturing and engineering companies to develop new products and move into new markets.
• Growth Sectors Support; Specialist in-depth, independent, practical support to help businesses in the Creative and Digital, Environmental, Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace and Finance sectors to accelerate business growth.
• Growth Skills Assist; providing free training to equip leadership teams with the skills required to achieve their growth goals.
• GrowthAccelerator, delivered in Lancashire by Winning Pitch; the national programme of coaching and advice for high-growth businesses.
• Access to Finance; helping business owners to identify and access the right type of funding to deliver their growth aspirations.

Businesses can sign up to the programme through the website www.boostbusinesslancashire.co.uk or call 0800 488 0057.