BRITISH BUSINESS BANK’S START UP LOANS PROGRAMME CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY AND REVEALS ITS EAST MIDLANDS AMBASSADOR

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 10 October 2022

UPDATED: 10 October 2022

Lincoln-based Naturawell, a plant-based bar and restaurant serving healthy and delicious food and drinks, is among 12 small businesses to be selected as champions of UK start-ups by Start Up Loans, part of the British Business Bank.

• Joezy Black and Amy White, founders of Naturawell announced as East Midlands Ambassadors
• Founders of 12 small businesses recognised as great role models for UK start-ups
• Start Up Loans marks a decade of support for UK small businesses and delivery of more than 5,400 loans to East Midlands businesses since 2012, worth over £49

The announcement comes as the programme celebrates its 10-year anniversary, having delivered more than 5,400 loans worth more than £49m to new business owners in the East Midlands since 2012.

One such recipient of these loans is Joezy and his business partner Amy, who took out funding from Start Up Loans to set up Naturawell in 2021. The business offers a range of healthy products including freshly prepared salad bowls, fresh juices, pancakes, toasties, bagels and smoothie bowls.

The couple are determined to promote healthy living habits. All of Naturawell's food and drinks are made from scratch upon request so freshness is always on the table and at the heart of what the company provides.

The couple said:

"Serving healthy food that is sustainable is at the heart of what we do, and our goal is to make eating plant-based food the norm in modern society."

Joezy & Amy are in the process of applying for a second loan in order to grow the business further by opening a second branch that will allow them to serve a broader customer base.

The annual Start Up Loans Ambassadors programme, now in its seventh year, celebrates exceptional business owners, Joezy and Amy, who have followed their ambition of becoming their own boss after receiving support from the government-backed Start Up Loans programme. 

Drawn from each of the UK’s 12 Nations and regions, the 2022 Start Up Loans Ambassadors reflect the broad diversity and ambition of the nation’s smaller business sector at a grass roots level. More details of the businesses selected from Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England’s regions can be found further below. 

Start Up Loans was established as a £10m pilot scheme by Lord Young in 2012, in the shadow of the 2008 financial crisis. His vision was to enable more young people to achieve their dream of setting up their own business, by offering affordable loans and expert support to those who might otherwise struggle to access funding.

Since then, the programme has delivered more than 97,000 loans to business owners across the UK, amounting to more than £900m of funding, while expanding to support entrepreneurs of all ages. 40% of loan recipients have been women and 21% people from minority ethnic backgrounds. 40% of recipients have been aged 18-30, reflecting the scheme’s continued support for the next generation of UK business owners. 

Sophie Dale-Black, UK Network Director, North of England and the Midlands said:

“Given the current challenges facing business owners across the East Midlands, it’s never been more important to celebrate those using creativity, tenacity and grit to make a success of their enterprises. It’s my pleasure to welcome Joezy and Amy and congratulate them on their role as Ambassadors, and I look forward to working with them over the coming year to inspire others thinking of becoming their own boss.” 

Tina McKenzie, Policy and Advocacy Chair at the Federation of Small Businesses, said:

“This is great news from the British Business Bank, marking 10 years of improving the small business ‘birth rate’, and at the same time powering the levelling up agenda by supporting small business creation in all the UK nations and regions.  Today’s figures and ambassadors are a real legacy for Lord Young, and we hope that this can be built on and expanded in future.”

Robin Spinks, Head of Inclusive Design, RNIB said:

“RNIB wants every blind person to be able to lead the life they want to live. British Business Bank is a government owned business development bank dedicated to making finance markets work better for smaller businesses. Two very different organisations have come together with a shared mission to enable those with sight loss to realise their ambition in starting a successful business.”

Through a network of delivery partner organisations, the Start Up Loans programme provides access to pre-and-post loan support to help applicants to develop a business plan; fixed-interest first and second loans of up to £25,000 to start or grow their business; as well as mentoring support to help loan recipients with everything from cash flow to marketing. 

In 2022, the programme was expanded to make first loans available to businesses that have been trading for up to three years, and second loans to businesses up to five years. The programme previously provided finance to start-ups which had been trading for up to two years.

Breakdown of loans by region

UK Region	Loans Made	Amount Lent (£)	Average Loan Amount (£)
East Midlands	5,468	49,820,763	9,111
East of England	6,893	65,561,712	9,511
London	20,474	187,085,791	9,138
North East	5,313	48,138,743	9,061
North West	12,022	108,476,654	9,024
Northern Ireland	1,495	12,764,845	8,538
Scotland	6,309	55,574,315	8,809
South East	9,626	97,040,179	10,081
South West	8,328	75,798,566	9,102
Wales	4,376	43,526,310	9,947
West Midlands	8,031	73,671,613	9,173
Yorkshire and The Humber	8,490	81,181,195	9,562
Region not obtained	444	5,478,723	12,339
Grand Total	97,269	904,119,406	9,295

 

Source: Start Up Loans, 31 August 2022

 

START UP LOANS AMBASSADORS 2022/23

1. Glasgow, Scotland: Emma Airley and Sebastian Bacewicz - Pastéis Lisboa
2. Abergavenny, Wales: Matt Thomas and Joby Barnard – Dryad
3. Craigavon, Northern Ireland: Claudia Mariza Rosado e Costa – Mama Claudia 
4. Old Street, London: Dhruvin Patel – Ocushield 
5. Lincoln, East Midlands: Joezy Uweh and Amy White – Naturawell
6. Woking, South East: Choe Bruce – Chloe Bruce Academy
7. Cambridge, East of England: Alice Wu – Peace and Pure
8. Durham, North East: Emma Hamlett  – Collected
9. York, Yorkshire & The Humber: Chantal Charles-Smith – Laughing Llama Coffee and Bistro
10. Walsall, West Midlands: Nirmla Warwood – Thatch and Stone 
11. Clitheroe, North West: Selina Ellis-Gray – Hellion Toys 
12. Wrexham, South West: Hannah Saunders – Toddle Born Wild

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