We are always looking at ways to grow the business here at PVM so last year when we were awarded a substantial grant, it meant we could bring many exciting plans forward. We received a grant of £29,588 of LEADER funding from Making it Local, which meant we could proceed with projects that we thought would take a lot longer to roll out.
What is LEADER and Making it Local?
Making it Local is a Local Action Group that administers LEADER funding in East Devon, South Somerset, part of Mid Devon and Taunton Dean areas, encompassing the East Devon AONB and the Blackdown Hills AONB. LEADER funding comes from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. It aims to grow the rural economy by awarding grants to businesses that need capital funding to start or develop.
“PVM met the criteria of LEADER around creating business growth and jobs through the introduction of new equipment, which the programme part-funded. The Executive Group felt that this project should be supported as it was a local family business that would achieve real growth with the funding, and create jobs for members of the local community, as well as offering good value for money.” – Cllr Paul Diviani, Chairman of the Making it Local Executive group.
How do you know if you’re eligible for the grant? You can find out here.
How have we spent the money?
We split the project into three sections, starting with the installation of a new, low voltage LED lighting system in our warehouse. This not only reduced our electricity overheads by 30% but in the long run, it will have less of an impact on the local environment.
The second part of the project was carried out in February of this year, when we purchased our third Barudan embroidery machine. This was a huge step for the business as it meant we could bring everything in house and maintain a consistently high level of service. The Barudan embroidery machine is fantastic and having our own equipment means that when a customer asks for something a little more unique, we can always deliver.
Finally, we are currently in the process of rolling out a brand new IT infrastructure, which will improve customer ordering and ultimately allow us to better engage with our customers. Overall, the whole project means that we can increase productivity, further improve our customer service and reduce our energy costs.
40% of everything we spent on the project was paid for by the grant and we are extremely grateful to Making it Local for allowing us to bring our plans forward and to continue to grow PVM Supplies.
