£20 Million Fund to Support Small and Medium Businesses

The Government has announced a £20 million fund to support the recovery of small and medium-sized businesses in England.

Businesses will be eligible to receive grants between £1,000 - £5,000 to help them access technology, equipment or professional advice as they plan for recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The support will be fully funded by the Government from the England European Regional Development Fund and distributed through Growth Hubs, embedded in local areas across England.

Activities supported through the funding can include:
• One-to-many events providing guidance to respond to coronavirus.
• Grants (£1,000 - £5,000) to help businesses access specialist professional advice such as HR, accountants, legal, financial, IT and digital, and to purchase minor equipment to adapt or adopt new technology in order to continue to deliver business activity or diversify.

Share Government guidance with customers on planning a holiday in England

Businesses are asked to help raise awareness of the Government's guidance for tourists who fall ill whilst on holiday in England by directing your customers to the advice displayed on the VisitEngland website.

Dedicated copy for businesses to use to communicate with their customers is available on our website. You can include the information as part of the customer booking confirmation and adopt the messaging on your marketing channels – to help protect your staff and customers.

For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/20-million-in-new-grants-to-boost-recovery-of-small-businesses