Published: Tuesday, 18th August 2020
Tourism, leisure, cultural and hospitality businesses are being encouraged to apply for grants to help them fund and implement measures to trade safely and extend their normal operating season.
There are two schemes available in west Norfolk, the Tourism Adaptation Business Fund and the Autumn and Winter Adaptation Business Fund. Each have a £45K funding pot and eligible businesses can apply for a maximum of £3k from each fund. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and the schemes will close on the closing dates detailed, or sooner if all the funds have been allocated.
The following criteria apply to both funds:
- Businesses must employ less than 50 people
- Their trading must be based within the borough
- They must operate in the tourism, hospitality, leisure and cultural sectors (accommodation is excluded)
Under the Tourism Business Adaptation Grant, businesses must not have claimed other specific grant funding to support re-opening activities.
The Tourism Business Adaptation Fund is designed to financially support businesses by enabling them to claim a grant to recompense them for up to 50% of the expenditure on adaptations and interventions that enable them to comply with Covid-19 social distancing and hygiene requirements. This can be backdated to costs incurred from 23 June 2020. This scheme opens today (Tuesday, 18 August 2020), and will close at 5pm on Friday, 11 September 2020. Eligible expenses include barriers, signage, improved waiting areas, sanitiser stations, protective screens and additional PPE to keep staff safe.
The Autumn and Winter Adaptation Fund is designed to provide financial support to businesses making adaptations that will help them to extend their season. Funding for up to 50% of costs for providing interventions such as windbreaks, insulation, online ticketing, temporary structures for keeping visitors dry. This scheme opens today (Tuesday, 18 August 2020), and will close at 5pm on Friday, 9 October 2020.
Cllr Elizabeth Nockolds, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage and Health, said: "We know that many leisure and tourism related businesses were hit hard by the Covid-19 lockdown, and have had to put in lots of additional measures to make it safe for their customers. This scheme, which forms part of a Norfolk Strategic Fund £2.25m Norfolk-wide package of measures to support the visitor economy, will really help those smaller businesses who have lost income and had to invest in measure to safeguard their clients."
"The funds will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so I would urge businesses to check their eligibility and apply as soon as possible."
Visit www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/tourismgrant to check eligibility and make a grant application.
Additional grants are available through the New Anglia LEP: https://newanglia.co.uk/funding/