The County Durham Growth Fund awarded £1.98 million in grants to 17 companies from across the county last year, which will create 278 new jobs.

2021 proved to be a successful year in terms of demand for the £8.9 million capital grant scheme, which provides financial support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in County Durham to help accelerate their growth. The fund is managed by Business Durham, the business support service of Durham County Council in partnership with UMi.

As well as the £1.98 million grants awarded to SMEs and businesses, the Fund leveraged a further £3.1million in private sector investment.

Each of the 17 companies supported secured a sizeable investment grant to help them buy new machinery and equipment, increase capacity, develop new products or move into larger premises.

The capital grant funding supports both established and new businesses who are looking to either expand or set up new operations in County Durham.

The Northern Echo: Peterlee based EB GranitePeterlee based EB Granite
Peterlee based EB Granite received a grant to invest in new machinery to improve efficiency and increase capacity. Mark Ellis co-founder of the company said: “The business has grown every year since it was set up and the demand for our services was continuing to increase. We knew there was scope to bring in a lot more work but the machinery we had was outdated, around a decade old, and just wasn’t working as quickly and efficiently as we needed it to.

“We know we have an excellent reputation within the industry and people travel from all over the region for our products and services. The demand is there and with the investment we’ve made in the new machinery, with the funding we received from the Durham County Council programme, we know we’re now ideally placed to bring in bigger contracts that often require a faster turnaround.”

North East Bi-Folds Ltd received a grant to extend the company’s current premises in Seaham together with investing in additional plant and machinery. Andrea Meah, from the company said: “We’d grown rapidly and had reached a point where we were supplying most of the house-builders in the North East. However, we needed more space and the machinery we were using was old and was starting to malfunction, so we knew if we were to continue to grow, we needed to invest.

“Our accountant suggested that we apply to the County Durham Growth Fund for grant support and thankfully we were successful.”

Cllr James Rowlandson, Cabinet Member for Resources, Investments and Assets at Durham County Council, said: “These companies are great examples of the innovative and ambitious small and medium-sized businesses located across our area and we at Durham County Council are very proud to have been able to support them, as they expand and flourish. It is by investing in ambitious firms like these that we will be able to ensure healthy economic growth and plenty of job creation for County Durham now and in the future.”

The 17 companies securing a grant in 2021 are:

  • Bowburn based maintenance, groundskeeping, cleaning and distribution company, AAA UK.
  • Engineering company Ashgarth Engineering in Consett.
  • Fabrication firm ATT Fabrications Limited, in Spennymoor.
  • Consett based horse-riding equipment and clothing specialist, Aztec Diamond Limited.
  • Conduit Construction Network Limited, which manufactures high quality door-sets, screens and ironmongery which is moving to Belmont.
  • Innovative modular housebuilder, CoreHaus Ltd which moved to Murton.
  • Peterlee based manufacturer of kitchen surfaces, hearths and vanity tops, EB Granite.
  • Chester-le-Street company EV Smart, which designs and installs electric vehicle charging points for commercial customers.
  • Finnish sauna specialists, Finnmark Saunas in Spennymoor.
  • Workwear, PPE and safety products company Industrial Workwear based in Consett.
  • Seaham based Bi-fold door manufacturer, North East Bi-Folds Limited.
  • innovative and disruptive solar energy generation technology company, Power Roll Limited, which moved to Murton.
  • Pragmatic Printing Limited which manufacturers innovative integrated circuits at its facility in Sedgefield.
  • Seaham based supplier of commercial catering equipment, RG Distributors T/A ECatering.
  • Close proximity radiographer pioneer, SafeRad in Branspeth.
  • Willington based T.O. Mounter & Sons, which manufacture wooden sleepers, logs and pallets.
  • Engineering firm Teescraft Engineering Ltd, which produces precision components for power related applications at its Bishop Auckland facility.

The fund is delivered by Business Durham in partnership with Umi. All successful grant applications are appraised by UNW LLP, an independent firm of chartered accountants and business advisers. The funding has been secured from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

To check eligibility and get help with the application process contact UMi on either 0191 7161006 or 07443 231757, or visit www.countydurhamgrowthfund.co.uk