Scottish wedding sector supported by £25million fund
Over 2,800 businesses which operate within the Scottish wedding industry have been supported by £25.9million worth of funding to help survive the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
A total of 2,811 eligible firms received a share of the Scottish Wedding Industry Fund, which was provided by the Scottish Government and administered by a partnership of South of Scotland Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
The fund aimed to help businesses whose main income comes from the Scottish wedding industry to survive the pandemic and then restart once restrictions ease, thus protecting jobs.
The Scottish Wedding Industry Fund was fully allocated within four weeks of opening on 28 January, with each enterprise agency receiving positive feedback from a number of eligible businesses.
The Scottish Wedding Industry Fund figures, broken down by enterprise agency
- South of Scotland Enterprise - 170 businesses supported/£1.7m funding issued
- Scottish Enterprise – 2,382 businesses supported/£21.99m funding issued
- Highlands and Islands Enterprise - 259 businesses supported/£2.2m funding issued
Further details on the distribution of the funding – including the eligible businesses which received funding - are available.
South of Scotland Enterprise Chair, Russel Griggs OBE
“At this most challenging time, the Scottish Wedding Industry Fund has provided crucial support to almost 3,000 businesses across Scotland.
“The success of this fund has been the result of strong partnership working between the three enterprise agencies, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Wedding Industry Alliance.
“All of Scotland’s enterprise agencies, including South of Scotland Enterprise, are here to help businesses across all sectors throughout the ongoing pandemic, with support and advice available via the Find Business Support website.”
More information on business support available in Scotland can be viewed at Find Business Support.
Case study - Roulotte Retreat
Avril Berry and Alan Fraser have hosted elopements and small weddings at their French Roulottes and Gypsy Bowtop near Melrose in the Scottish Borders since 2014.
Over 20 couples were booked to tie the knot at Roulotte Retreat in 2020 but COVID-19 restrictions meant only four ceremonies went ahead.
Avril Berry
“The support from the Wedding Fund certainly helped us after the cancellations we experienced in 2020.
“We appreciated the way SOSE took the time to talk through the claim, listening to the impact COVID-19 was having on our business as well as being diligent in checking out all the necessary information and ensuring they had all the facts required for the application.
“An important aspect for us about the process was the personal touch - we had a named person to deal with who took the time to understand our business and our application.”