Finance Yorkshire makes first investments

L‑R Roger Oldfield — Production Manager at Northend Creative Print Solutions, Ian Howson — Investment Manager at Finance Yorkshire and James Newman — Chairman of Finance Yorkshire.

Finance Yorkshire, the new £90m venture and capital loan fund, has made its first investments.

The Fund, which became active only 10 days ago, has already lent a total of £215,000 to four companies across West and South Yorkshire.

Fresh Pastures CIC, a Wakefield-based company which supplies milk and other morning products to schools and councils across the UK, has received an investment of £75,000.

Graham Morely, director of Fresh Pastures CIC said: “As with any business, in any sector, we are feeling the effects of the world banking crisis and the new challenges that it presents.

“Businesses are now looking to find new ways of working and financing, but we are adapting to these challenges and taking steps to drive the business forward.

“Finance Yorkshire has played an invaluable part in this process, providing us with an investment of £75,000 towards short term working capital and to help the business grow.”

Sheffield-based printers, Northend Creative Print Solutions, has also been given a loan of £75,000 to help the company expand its web to print service. The service allows clients to place a customised order form on their websites so customers can order printed items online.

Reset Training Ltd, a company which offers a variety of training courses ranging from electrical and site safety to first aid and personal coaching, has received £15,000 to assist with working capital and to help the company with rebranding, including a complete redesign and upgrade to their website.

And IC Innovations, a pioneering consumer product design company that turns ideas into real products and counts both Tesco and Morrisons amongst its customers, has been given a £50,000 loan to finance stock.

Helping a range of small and medium sized businesses to meet their funding requirements for growth and development, Finance Yorkshire provides seedcorn, loan and equity linked investments, ranging from £15,000 to £2m.

James Newman, chairman of Finance Yorkshire said: “We’re delighted that the investments have began to roll out across the region and we urge any company that is seeking finance to grow within Yorkshire, the Humber, North and North East Lincolnshire to get in touch.”

The project is supported financially by the European Union. It has attracted £30million investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of Europe’s support for the region’s economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme.

For more information about Finance Yorkshire, please visit www.finance-yorkshire.com or ring 0845 649 0000.

Note: this news article is from Finance Yorkshire’s previous fund. Read more about Finance Yorkshire