Shropshire and Herefordshire firms urged to use £5m funding pot

The LEP's Paul Kalinauckas said the ERDF funding could help in a variety of ways

Businesses in two counties have been urged to take advantage of a near £5m funding pot to help them grow.

Small and medium-sized enterprises in Shropshire and Herefordshire can access more than 10 EU-funded business support projects.

These include grants and consultancy support, The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said.

The money is available through programmes supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The LEP, which promotes economic growth, stated the ERDF funding may help companies in a "huge variety of ways", including to develop innovative new products or services and to expand into new space.

The money and support could "make a big difference to small businesses, particularly against the current economic backdrop", said Paul Kalinauckas, the partnership's access to finance champion.

He added it would urge as many firms as possible to get in touch "to explore how they might benefit".

ERDF-funded schemes include the Business Energy Efficiency Programme through which companies can get help and grant support to reduce their energy costs and carbon footprint.

The funding is part of a wider package offered through the LEP and its business support service, the Marches Growth Hub, amounting to more than £10m.