A FIRM of accountants and business advisers has secured more than £110m of grant funding for clients.

Clive Owen and Co has seen increased demand thanks to the launch of schemes including the Government’s Regional Growth Fund.

The firm, which has which has offices in Darlington, York, and the outskirts of Durham City, said more than 90 per cent of its applications have been successful.

It has helped more than 70 companies gain grant funding, including Middlesbrough-based third generation distribution company AV Dawson.

The company secured £1.2m from the Regional Growth Fund for its Tees bio-freight terminal as part of £10m expansion plans.

John Young, AV Dawson’s finance director, said: “The work undertaken by Clive Owen in helping to deliver grant funding has enabled the directors to balance the commercial risk and invest for the future with confidence.”

Neville Baldry, Clive Owen’s grants partner, added: “We have been delighted to secure some significant grants to enable companies to press ahead with expansion plans.”

Earlier this year, The Northern Echo revealed AV Dawson, which once delivered coal with a £50 horse and cart, was working on £6m plans to strengthen its future and bolster North-East steelmaking.

The firm has built a storage area to house thousands of tonnes of steel for the car industry.

Capable of handing up to 30,000 tonnes of steel coil from Tata Steel's south Wales operations, the store will hold products for car makers, including Sunderland's Nissan plant.

Bosses also secured a three-year deal with Tata to export products from the Teesside beam mill, in Redcar, to eastern Europe after increasing the size of its quayside to attract larger ships.