Latest news with #SharedProsperityFund
Rhyl Journal
13-06-2025
- Business
- Rhyl Journal
Denbighshire businesses urged to bid for share of £1m fund
The second round of the Prosperous Denbighshire Business Fund, distributed by regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd, is now open for applications. This follows an initial £1.3 million fund that helped almost 100 companies across the county. Grants of up to £35,000 are available, with a closing date for applications of Thursday, July Pharmacist Ravi Kiran Palutla - recipient of a Cadwyn Clwyd grant is pictured with Donna Hughes from Cadwyn Clwyd (Image: Supplied) Further smaller grants of up to £2,000 are also on offer. The first round of funding had some remarkable success stories, including a 150-year-old village chemist shop in Dyserth that was saved thanks to the financial boost. Solution pharmacist Ravi Kiran Palutla received a grant of just £1,897 to update the website and install a computerised booking system at the Dyserth Pharmacy when he took over in 2023. Mr Palutla said: "A grant of just £1,897 enabled me to update the website to make it more functional and install a computerised booking system, and the difference it has made has been amazing." This system has driven customer numbers up by 44 per cent, with appointments soaring from 20 a month to 300. The system allows for online booking of in-person consultations, allowing for prescriptions, treatments, or referrals to be administered promptly, thus reducing the long waits people often experience at Wales's GP surgeries. Mr Palutla said: "The population of the Dyserth area is about 2,000, and for me to have a viable business, I need a patient base of 4,000 plus, and the computerised system has allowed me to build that." Cadwyn Clwyd business partnership officer Donna Hughes said: "It is remarkable the difference it has made to Ravi's business and to access to healthcare in North Denbighshire. "He was in the first phase of the Prosperous Denbighshire rollout, which can pay up to 70 per cent of the value of a project, to a maximum of £35,000 of a £50,000 scheme." "The success of what Ravi has done just shows that this kind of funding can do wonders for a business." The fund comes from the Shared Prosperity Fund, administered by the UK Government, which announced a further £900 million of funding for local investment in the Autumn Budget to be allocated by March 2026. Cadwyn Clwyd is expecting a similarly high level of interest in the second round of funding, given its success in the first phase. The funding is intended to support people in the area in building businesses, bringing benefits to the individuals and the wider community. Ms Hughes said: "The first phase proved hugely popular which was shown by the number of grants we were able to make and it also shows the need and the effectiveness of this kind of support for local people to build businesses with all the benefits that has for them and the communities in which they live." For more information on the fund, interested parties can contact Donna Hughes at Cadwyn Clwyd on 01490 340500, email or visit the Cadwyn Clwyd website.
Leader Live
13-06-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
How UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund helped Flintshire
Flintshire County Council received more than £12.4m from the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund and used the money to support 26 projects. The project's aim to improve employment opportunities, foster business growth, and upgrade important amenities. The financial aid, distributed between 2022-2025, focused on three main themes: communities and place, people and skills, and supporting local businesses. The fund also supported 'Multiply', an initiative to boost adult numeracy skills. As a result of the investment, data shows that about 15,000 people now have a more positive perception of their local facilities, such as social clubs and community hubs, with 6,073 more residents using these amenities than before. Graham Wilson (left), Dylunio Solutions Design Director, and Matt Groves (right), AMRC Cymru Manufacturing Research Engineer, with the respiratory mask for military dogs which ADAPTS helped produced. (Image: Supplied) Flintshire town centres saw significant improvements, including the redevelopment of 13 commercial properties, financial support for 48 events and activities, and bespoke advice for more than 50 businesses. Many sites also underwent environmental enhancements. Projects like Flintshire County Council's Strength in Numbers and LEAP, as well as WeMindTheGap's Minding the Gaps of Young People project, have boosted the confidence and skills of youngsters and adults across the county, resulting in 1,709 people gaining a qualification and a further 2,693 people engaged in education or training to improve their employment prospects. Gordon Elliot, owner and optometrist at Roberts and Polson Opticians who beneffited from the Flintshire County Council's Town Centre Property Improvement Grant (TCPIG), Flint, with Practice Manager, Sue Polson. Around 1,383 Flintshire firms received support, with 429 businesses adopting new innovative technologies and/or processes, and 203 decarbonisation plans developed in line with Wales' net zero by 2050 target. Design consultancy Dylunio Solutions, for example, received a smart workbench to aid the design and development of a military canine respiratory system. READ MORE: Residents left waiting weeks for Flintshire garden waste collection Councillor Chris Dolphin, Flintshire County Council cabinet member for economy, environment, and climate, said: "From the increased usage of community facilities to the adoption of green technologies, the positive effects of the UKSPF are evident across Flintshire. "Thanks to the financial support from the UK Government, the county is well placed to go from strength to strength over the coming years and I hope we see the benefit to the Flintshire economy and an overall greater sense of pride within residents towards their local area." To learn more about the successes of the UKSPF in Flintshire, visit:
South Wales Argus
12-06-2025
- General
- South Wales Argus
The Rhymney Pantry opens to provide affordable food
The Rhymney Pantry, based at St David's Community Centre, officially launched on Monday following a soft opening earlier in the month. Councillor Carol Andrews, cabinet member for education and communities at Caerphilly County Borough Council, said: "The Rhymney Pantry is a fantastic example of how our communities can come together to create something truly meaningful. "It's not just about helping people access affordable food. It's about giving them choice, dignity and the chance to be part of something positive. "I'm proud to see this kind of support being delivered here in Rhymney." Part of a growing network of community pantries, the Rhymney Pantry operates like a small shop. Members pay a small weekly fee and can select at least 10 grocery items, including fresh fruit and vegetables. The scheme is designed to address food insecurity while fostering community connections, boosting confidence and offering access to volunteering and support services. The project is funded through the Shared Prosperity Fund via the Food4Growth Sustainable Food Network, with additional support from the Welsh Government's Direct Food Support scheme. The pantry aims strengthen the community through connection, support and opportunity.
Leader Live
06-06-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Police warn drivers ignoring changes in Wrexham city centre
Changes made to the city centre divided opinion among business owners and residents when it was pedestrianised back in April. Over the last few months, funding secured from UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund, the Welsh Government Transforming Towns Fund, Safer Streets Fund and Active Travel Fund allowed Wrexham Council to make High Street and Wrexham City Centre, they say, 'more inviting and pedestrian friendly'. As part of these improvements as of Monday April 14, there is now just one point of entry only to the city centre. That is via Yorke Street with access provided between 6am and 11.30am daily, with bollards in place to restrict vehicle access otherwise. But, within just a few days of it being introduced, several crashes were reported to Wrexham Council at the scene of the bollards. And, drivers are continuing to ignore the city centre warning signs nearly two months on, police have said. The force has warned that people who do this are putting others at 'significant risk'. They added that those drivers could 'face prosecution'. PC Dan Brown, community beat manager for Wrexham City Centre, said: 'We are receiving complaints that road users are ignoring the new traffic regulation order and are continuing to use the roads the 'old way'." TOP STORIES TODAY Wrexham Co-op store closed after car collides with its wall PC Brown added: "This causes significant risks to other road users and pedestrians who use them correctly. Road users ignoring the new order will face prosecution. We are committed to ensuring that Wrexham City Centre is a safe place for all who use it.' To familiarise yourself with the new layout and signage, pay particular attention to the following locations:- PC Brown said: " Please ensure these are adhered to, to avoid prosecution. "Wrexham City Neighbourhood Police team are working in partnership with Wrexham Council enforcement team to ensure that the roads in the city centre are being used as they should be. Thank you for your co-operation."
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
University granted £1.5m to set up dental school
A training centre in Lincolnshire offering courses in dental hygiene and therapy will open in 2026. The University of Lincoln has been granted funding of £1.5m to establish the facility. Vice chancellor Prof Neal Juster said it was "a first step towards training dentists themselves". The funding has been approved by the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA), with Mayor Andrea Jenkyns saying the award was "great news for residents". Prof Juster said the county was "known as a dental desert" and he hoped to get to a full dental school training dentists one day. When it opens in September 2026 the new Lincolnshire Institute of Dental and Oral Health will be part of the University's Medical School. It will accept around 30 students in its first year and will teach a new BSc in Dental Hygiene and Therapy alongside a foundation course designed to help dental nurses and other healthcare professionals retrain and upskill. The funding has come from the government's Shared Prosperity Fund which was handed to the GLCCA to distribute. Meeting for the first time since last month's local elections and chaired by Mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns, it voted unanimously to award the money. Dame Andrea said she recommended the funding was approved and was "really pleased to get this project off the ground". At the same meeting councillor Ingrid Sheard was voted in as deputy greater Lincolnshire mayor. Sheard is an elected Lincolnshire County Council member for Spalding Elloe for the Reform UK party. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Long queues as dentist offers NHS places 'I was living on soup, porridge and painkillers' Dentist closures 'heartbreaking', says councillor First NHS dentist for five years in seaside town 'County will lose dental desert tag' - health boss University of Lincoln Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority
