Boost your new business: £55k in grants on offer for Central Bedfordshire – register now for free support and advice

Well, if you’ve got a brand new business, or just an idea for a start-up or are wanting to strike out on your own as a sole trader and you live in Central Bedfordshire you’re in luck!

The Central Start Programme has £55,000 of cash to give away as business start-up grants before the end of March. And there is also a host of experienced entrepreneurs and small business owners ready to give you free advice, alongside training sessions in everything from taxes to websites, marketing to manufacturing, and it’s all absolutely free.

The money comes from Central Government – via its UK Shared Prosperity and Rural Shared Prosperity initiatives, which were set up to boost business and the economy in certain areas of the country. Central Bedfordshire Council successfully bid for some of this money and the £55k is the first tranche of that.

How to access money and support

The Central Bedfordshire Start-up Grant is being managed by Wenta – a UK-wide not-for-profit organisation with over 40 years’ experience helping new businesses get off the ground. They are wanting to hear from people with business ideas so that they can identify start-ups which they think can be sustainable and successful and that they can help to come to fruition, thrive and survive through advice, training and financial support.

Georgina Wark, Head of Digital, Communication & Marketing at Wenta, starting a new business can be a minefield – a lonely and daunting experience – but that’s what the business advisors are there for.

“They are all independent advisors, who have been through the process of setting up their own business, so they understand,” she said. “The beauty of that is that a new business start-up need not be alone, just having someone to talk it through with can be really helpful.”

Through the scheme, grants of between £300 and £3,000 are available for specific ideas – you need to know just what you want the money for and how it will help your business – there are certain things it can’t be spent on, including IT equipment.

Georgina said they wanted to encourage everyone with a start-up idea or new business – be it a sole trader, entrepreneur, partnership or just someone looking to turn a side-hustle into an income. It might just the germ of an idea, it might just be for a part-time business or it might be an existing new venture less than three years old.

To book a free 1-2-1 appointment to find out more you just need your idea, Wenta can help with the rest.

“We just need to talk to you about your business idea, you don’t need to worry about anything else, that’s what we’re here for,” said Georgina.

Book your free 1-2-1 appointment

Applicants must be over 18 and the business must be a legitimate one and be deemed suitable for public support by Bedfordshire Council. Once you’ve registered and booked your 1-2-1 session via the website below your advisor will talk you through everything you need to know.

Find out more here and book your free 1-2-1 session here