Business / Living Lerwick receives funding to extend support to businesses across isles
LIVING Lerwick has received funding to extend support to businesses throughout Shetland during the lockdown phase and into recovery.
The organisation has received £10,000 from a national Business Improvement District Resilience Fund, as well as £4,000 from Shetland Island Council’s economic development service.
Two thousands pounds is also been used from Living Lerwick’s own business support funds.
The money will be used to provide staff resources, fund admin costs, sort local marketing and undertake website updates.
Businesses throughout Shetland are invited to take part in an initial 20-30 minute survey of their current business operations, and discuss resilience issues.
It is hoped that this will help to build up a picture of business health and identify any possible support gaps.
Initial conversations will also provide information about goods and services that businesses are currently offering and how the public can safely access these.
There will also be the development of a virtual ‘high street’ to allow the public to find details, links, contact information and images of products and services available locally.
Living Lerwick project manager Emma Miller said: “As we are currently unable to deliver normal Living Lerwick activities in a socially responsible way, we have put BID operations on hold to allow staff to support hundreds of additional businesses on a one to one basis, while continuing to support our own members.
“I’d like to be clear that this project does not replace the excellent work being done by Business Gateway who are administering grant funding and can give specific operational advice.
“This is a project to assess the future of business health in Shetland by offering a listening ear; a chance to discuss possible diversification of your business and a platform to promote services.”
Any business can book an appointment for a resilience consultation online or by calling 07379 765020. For more information people can contact emma@livinglerwick.co.uk.
Appointments are available from 28 April.
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