Caithness Business Fund launches second round of COVID-19 scheme thanks to NDA support Published on 26^th June 2020

Following the success of the first round of its COVID-19 Support Scheme, funded by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL), the Caithness Business Fund is delighted to announce that it will be opening a second round thanks to a contribution of a further £100,000 from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

The second round will once again make grants of up to £5,000 available to businesses within the Dounreay travel to work area to help with costs associated with reopening which can be clearly attributed to the COVID-19 crisis.

Due to a high level of expected demand, this funding round will be open from today (26 June) until 5pm on Tuesday 30 June. Applications will only be accepted via email, and anybody interested in applying should first view the initial guidance to ensure eligibility and then fill in a copy of the application form from caithnessbusinessfund.com/covid-19-support-scheme.

Trudy Morris, Chief Executive of Caithness Chamber of Commerce, which manages the Fund, said:

“The first round of this scheme was a huge success and I am delighted that we were able to support 55 businesses across the region through this. It was clear from the level of interest we saw that there was significantly more demand for support than we would be able to fund through DSRL’s initial contribution.

“We are extremely grateful to the NDA for recognising the challenges facing the local business community and for stepping up with an extremely generous contribution of a further £100,000. We have already been able to help a huge number of small businesses through this scheme and this contribution will significantly boost our capacity to support the local business community at a time when it is needed most.”

David Peattie, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, said:

“The NDA is delighted to provide this additional funding support. This has been a difficult time for everyone, and we recognise the challenges faced by businesses as we enter this COVID-19 recovery period.

“Given the major impact of our work at Dounreay, we continue to work closely with our partners to do everything we can to support and protect the local economy”.