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Growth Hub support for South West businesses to continue with new funding

The Heart of the South West LEP has announced further funding to support the Heart of the South West Growth Hub in providing support to local businesses across Devon, Somerset, Plymouth and Torbay.

The Heart of the South West Growth Hub offers free, impartial, expert business advice, and has a range of programmes and grants available to help support businesses with growth, resilience, trade, marketing, recruitment, and more.

The Heart of the South West LEP has awarded £208,000 to the Growth Hub, to ensure its services continue from March 2023, providing certainty to local businesses. The Growth Hub will continue to offer free advice and support, which has proved particularly important during the current economic crisis and uncertainty around doing business.

Over the past year, the Growth Hub has supported over 1,600 businesses, including Devon Sea Salt, who received business development guidance as well as financial advice, helping to get the business back on track following the pandemic.

Chris Hambley, Owner of Devon Sea Salt, said: “The Growth Hub really enabled us to gain the expert knowledge we needed to move the business forward. The staff at the growth hub are fantastic, really helpful and friendly. No questions were left unanswered, and the advice was given freely. I really can’t thank them enough for their assistance.”

Karl Tucker, Chair of the Heart of the South West LEP, said: “With many businesses being impacted by the challenging economic climate, it’s important that we offer dedicated support to help with long-term planning, finance and business resilience. We are pleased to offer this funding to further extend the Growth Hub’s vital services, and support our businesses across the Heart of the South West.”

Find out more about the Heart of the South West Growth Hub.

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      David Ralph

      Chief Executive

      David Ralph started as Chief Executive of Heart of South West LEP at the beginning of June 2018. Previously, he had spent 5 years as CEO of the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire (D2N2) LEP from 2013 where he oversaw the development of the D2N2 Strategic Economic Plan and sector strategies, 3 Growth Deals with HM Government to deliver a £1billion capital investment programme, securing and implementing £200m ESIF programme, the Derby and Nottingham Enterprise Zone, the D2N2 Skills Deal and Time for Innovation programme, community fund and led the executive team to develop the HS2 East Midlands hub. He was also closely involved in the proposed North Midlands Devolution Deal and one of the key architects in establishing the Midlands Engine, chairing the officer steering group. Whilst in this role David was a NED of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone, and Marketing NG, the Outer Estates Foundation and a Governor of Nottingham College and on the advisory Board of Nottingham Business School.

      Before the East Midlands, David was CEO of the Have Gateway Partnership working closely with local stakeholders including the ports of Felixstowe, Harwich and Ipswich and BT Adadastral Park across Suffolk and Essex and prior to that was Chief Exec of the Barton Hill New Deal for Communities programme in Bristol and the Nelm Development Trust in Norwich.

      David is a keen sailor, walker and trail runner.