Family Business Harvests Growth from Business Support Service

 Family favourite, Brocksbushes Farm Shop, has been awarded a grant through the Northumberland Small Business Service (NSBS), enabling the business premises to triple in size as well as create jobs for the County.

The NSBS team has worked with Brocksbushes to facilitate the grant which will “take the business to the next level” by building brand new premises and improved car parking facilities to accommodate more visitors.

The Northumberland Small Business Service (NSBS), is delivered by Advance Northumberland on behalf of Northumberland County Council. The project is partly funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority Investment Fund and by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Rural England Prosperity Fund with the North of Tyne Combined Authority as the lead authority.

Run by Harry Dickinson, Harry’s mother, Caroline Dickinson and Harry’s wife, Rose Dickinson, Brocksbushes has welcomed families far and wide for generations and with the benefit of the grant is now able to offer even more to visitors.

Harry Dickinson, second-generation director of Brocksbushes said “We will be adding to our Farm Shop offering with a butchery, our Café will be much larger, we are introducing a whole new offering with an indoor Play Barn and we will have much more flexibility for an all-year-round events programme with our new function room and courtyard space”.

The family business, which started by selling seasonal fruits in the 1970s, has grown exponentially and the grant provided by NSBS will allow the business to keep up with demand as well as create 17 jobs for Northumberland, a brilliant addition to the local economy. As well as the Growth and Resilience support, the NSBS also offers support for farm enterprises looking to diversify and individuals looking to start a business across Northumberland. The experienced team and its range of experts will work directly with individuals and businesses to help them start, grow, diversify, and sustain their businesses.

Eligible businesses can also access a £2 million rural capital Grant Investment Fund which will support businesses in rural areas with clear growth plans, to access capital investment to expand productive capacity or diversify into new markets or products.

Harry Dickinson also said “It has been extremely useful, there is no downside to enquiring. There may not be anything suitable currently, depending on your type of business, but they keep in touch with new funding/training opportunities which you might otherwise miss out on”.

Interim Programme Manager, Gillian Fricker said “Having taken my children, and now my grandchildren to Brocksbushes, it has been a pleasure working on this project. I have personally been to visit the site, and I am very excited to see it complete in summer 2024. It is a welcomed addition to Northumberland”.

The North of Tyne Combined Authority is a partnership of three local authorities: Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council, and Northumberland County Council and the North of Tyne Elected Mayor. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025.

The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

If you have any questions about the event or the new Northumberland Small Business Service, please visit www.northumberlandsmallbusiness.co.uk or contact the team at business@advancenorthumberland.co.uk