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From the left, Ted and Kate Hunter (Bear Cleaning), Martin Nwangwa (CWLEP Growth Hub), Alexander Vill (CWRT), Cllr Kam Kaur (Warwickshire County Council) and Sarah Windrum (CWLEP)
An entrepreneurial family-run business is cleaning up in Warwickshire after securing funding to extend its services.
Bear Cleaning was launched by former Warwickshire police officer Ted Hunter and his wife, Kate, who was a social worker, in Kenilworth in 2017.
The exterior cleaning business focuses on cleaning roofs, driveways, patios, gutters and wheelie bins for domestic properties in Warwick district, Southam, Cawston and parts of Coventry. They also provide jet washing, gutter clearance, steam cleaning and bin cleaning for the commercial sector in Warwickshire and the West Midlands.
Ted spotted an opportunity to complement the existing collection services provided by district and borough councils and increase the range of options for collection for customers.
After meeting Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Chair Sarah Windrum through a peer-to-peer networking programme, she put Kate in touch with the CWLEP Growth Hub, who advised her to talk to the team at the Coventry & Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust (CWRT).
They recommended Bear Cleaning should apply to the Duplex Investment Fund, which is a combined grant and loan initiative jointly managed by CWLEP, CWRT, Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council.
The project is being funded by £3.9 million of grants from the Government’s Local Growth Fund and the Growing Places Fund, distributed and managed by CWLEP. Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council have both invested a further £2 million in the scheme managed by CWRT.
Kate successfully applied for a £41,500 loan and £16,600 grant from the Coventry and Warwickshire wide scheme to buy a 3.5 tonne truck to deliver the new service from Bear Cleaning in Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon.
She said: “It was great to meet Sarah Windrum and she was really encouraging about our plans for the business.
“We have three members of staff, and we are currently recruiting for a fourth because we are really busy and want to continue growing because we have loads of enquiries coming in and we have built some great relationships with our clients.
“Ted spotted a gap in the market for householders who may want more regular collections. I carried out a lot of detailed market research and realised we needed to buy a small truck – similar to the type you see with a cage picking up litter bags in parks – so I got in touch with the Growth Hub and then CWRT to apply for the Duplex Investment Fund.
“We now have our new vehicle and we’re ready to go. There was a lot of information and due diligence required but it really helped to formalise our business plans and we are really grateful to have received this valuable funding.”
Martin Nwangwa, account manager at the CWLEP Growth Hub, said: “The Growth Hub provides support to businesses throughout our region no matter their size or sector and part of that work involves giving information on accessing funding and grants.
“Bear Cleaning is a great example of a family-run entrepreneurial business which prides itself on providing a quality service and has built a fantastic company despite having no previous experience in the sector.”
Alexander Vill, of CWRT, added: “Bear Cleaning’s submission was one of the most comprehensive we have received for the Duplex Investment Fund and Kate had certainly carried out in-depth market research including the Environment Act which became law last year.
“Recycling and disposing of waste responsibly are really important and buying the truck will enable the business to take their firm to the next level.”
Sarah Windrum, Chair at CWLEP, added: “When I met Kate, I was struck by her enthusiasm, and it was clear there was a great deal of potential for growth.
“One of the main objectives of CWLEP is to boost our area’s economy which means creating the right environment for innovation and enterprise to flourish, and Bear Cleaning highlights that.”
Cllr Kam Kaur, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Economy and Place at Warwickshire County Council and CWLEP board director, said: “The County Council is involved in a suite of funding streams to suit the requirements of the diverse range of businesses in the county. Duplex, which has now administered over £1m of loans was ideal in this scenario and I am delighted that another Warwickshire business has benefitted, with an increased choice being made available for the county’s residents.”
Animal attraction in North Warwickshire is a hit
A business that has brought alpacas and meerkats to North Warwickshire, creating a new attraction for the area, is looking to expand after receiving support.
Lucky Tails Alpaca Farm was opened by nurse Sarah Booth eight years ago in Hurley and now brings in hundreds of visitors each weekend and attracts local schoolchildren during the week.
It’s home to around fifty alpacas, ten meerkats and several special-breed donkeys and Sarah is looking to increase the number of animals and also create a new café to help grow the business.
Lucky Tails Alpaca Farm is now attracting more online attention too after being helped by Project Warwickshire – a free recovery and growth business support programme to help companies in the Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality sectors in the County, in the wake of the of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Project Warwickshire is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Warwickshire County Council. The support is delivered by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with Shakespeare’s England and Northern Warwickshire Tourism.
Sarah, who employs five staff, said: “I set up eight years ago. I used to go running in Leicestershire and I’d go past a farm that had alpacas in the field and it just became a dream of mine to farm some myself.
“I found a plot of land, bought it and bought some alpacas too. The original idea was just to breed them but it’s expensive and it takes a lot of time so we launched our alpaca walks and they grew in popularity.
“We added some meerkats into the mix and some donkeys and suddenly we became a tourist attraction for the area!
“The next phase is to add a few more alpacas and meerkats but we have to be very careful when choosing them. The alpacas have to be the right quality and the meerkats need to have the right kind of personality to integrate into the mob so we go all over the country to find the right ones!
“We really want to add a café too. We do pre-wrapped food but we think by creating a café it would be another attraction for the area.”
Sarah added: “The support through the Chamber has been really helpful. It’s improved what we do on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram after we took online masterclasses and they’ve also supported us by analysing our website and have made recommendations.
“Sometimes it is just great to have someone with expertise to offer a second opinion. You can think you are doing something right but a fresh set of eyes can offer a different perspective.”
Caroline Trainor, Programme Manager at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “It’s great to see Lucky Tails thriving – especially after the issues that all attractions have faced over the past two years.
Sarah Booth (left) with Caroline Trainor
“We are delighted that we’ve been able to support Sarah with one-to-one help from one of our experienced Business Advisors and provide lots of support and workshops around digital marketing, which is vital for a business of this nature.
“It’s great to see that there are plans for growth and that will only add to its pull to people from all over the region.”
For more information on support from through Project Warwickshire, go to https://www.cw-chamber.co.uk/ business-support/project-warwickshire/
WINNERS! of the ‘Arboricultural Company’ at The Pro Landscaper Business Awards 2022 which were held at East Wintergarden in Canary Wharf on Friday 22 April 2022
The 2022 Awards were particularly special as it celebrated their five-year anniversary!
Once again, it brought the tree and landscaping community together for an afternoon to celebrate the excellent standards set within the landscape industry.
Pro Landscaper’s Jim Wilkinson, said: “Our industry is exceptional at celebrating the visual excellence of landscaping with industry awards and RHS shows that highlight how phenomenal landscapes can look, but with the Pro Landscaper Business Awards, we chose to highlight how well businesses operate their processes, staff training, health and safety records and consistently achieve positive customer feedback.”
We were shortlisted with four other fantastic Arboricultural Contractors on our category, so were very proud to be chosen as the winning company. This hopefully demonstrates our commitment to strive for excellence in all areas of our business, as mentioned above.
The award is dedicated to the continued hard work from the whole team at Beechwood Trees and Landscapes Ltd.
Billesley Manor Hotel & Spa and Shakespeare Distillery to Co-Host Popular Gin Festival in Stratford Upon Avon
After being postponed for the last two years, the much-anticipated Gin Festival is set to be co-hosted by Billesley Manor Hotel & Spa and Shakespeare Distillery on Sunday 17th July from 12 noon to 5pm.
The newly refurbished Billesley Manor is the perfect location, as its 125-year-old Topiary Garden is sure to create a relaxed and fun atmosphere to stage the festival, ensuring attendees have a wonderful time at the event. At the festival, guests can enjoy a variety of fantastic craft gins from a selection of gin distilleries, the chef’s selection of locally sourced food (purchased separately) and live music. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, guests can sit in awe, relax in the sunshine whilst sipping a refreshing glass of Gin from the distillery.
Laura Murphy, Director of Sales & Marketing at Billesley Manor Hotel comments “We are delighted to be hosting this amazing event at Billesley Manor Hotel. It has always been such a successful event and a lovely excuse to get together with friends and family for that longoverdue social. We are proud to be working in collaboration with such a prestigious local distillery to bring this event to life. Music, dancing, food, a beautiful backdrop, and gin… what’s not to love?”
