Final Call for Website Design & Development Grants in Ashington

Accelerate Ashington have launched their final open call for applications to receive a Website Design & Development grant for businesses in the Ashington Area.

The aim of these grants is to help eliminate one of the largest barriers to growing a business. A website can be a significant expense that can hold back the digital capabilities of any enterprise from investing it one. A professional website often serves as the initial impression a customer forms of your business and is a key indicator of credibility and can provide functionality beyond what a storefront or social media can offer.

The Design & Development grants are an opportunity for Ashington based businesses to secure financial support for website projects valued between £1,000 and £5,000, accessible through a competitive application process. Businesses that apply have the flexibility to select their own developers to ensure that they are receiving the product they need.

The open call for applications is live from Monday 8^th January until Friday 9^th February 2024. All applications will be assessed against the eligibility criteria listed on the Accelerate Ashington website. Funding is limited so it is important that businesses submit a quality application by the deadline.

Accelerate Ashington is a programme managed by Advance Northumberland and is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, with the North of Tyne Combined Authority as the lead authority. For an example of how a website can benefit your business we have included examples below from two business from different sectors that went through the first Accelerate Ashington Open Call in February 2023:

Gravity Heating Ltd : Gravity Heating provides reliable boiler and heating services in Ashington, Northumberland and the surrounding areas. The owner Rory is an accredited and trusted heating engineer, providing reliable boiler and heating services throughout Northumberland. With over 20 years’ experience in the industry and a history in tap manufacturing at a busy plumber’s merchant, Rory used his wealth of knowledge to start Gravity Heating.  The goal of his web development was to expand the functionality of his existing website and by adding payment functionality and additional pages to breakdown the various service plans available.

Rory said during his application, “Having the ability to take service bookings online and offer finance will increase boiler sales and improve my booking procedure for servicing gas appliances. Impact on turnover would add minimum of 50% to my boiler sales”.

Pride Action North: Pride Action North is an LGBTQIA+ charity. It started life back in August 2017 with the aim was to bring visibility to Northumberland through events, commonly known as Pride. Since then, the charity has gone from strength to strength, from a predominantly volunteer led charity to employing nine staff by December 2023.

Their original website was not fit for purpose and described by Darren Irvine-Duffy, the chair at Pride Action North as ‘fundamentally broken’. When describing the application process he said, ‘The process was easy and didn’t take much time. As someone who writes funding applications most days to support our service it was clear what information Accelerate Ashington needed from us.”

They’ve said of the newly developed site: ‘The standout value so far is that everyone who has accessed our website has said how amazing and clear it is. We’re already seeing results through our training offer and new business, a way we raise money to deliver our services. We have seen referrals increase, it’s much easier for individuals to refer themselves or others to use.’

If you have a business based in Ashington consider the following:  Does your business have a website? Is it up to date? Fit for purpose? 

If you think you might benefit from this opportunity, submit your application by
Friday 9^th February.

For more information about the programme and to register please go to: www.AccelerateAshington.com or contact the team at: AccelerateAshington@advancenorthumberland.co,uk