Golden opportunity for Black Country SMEs

The funding scheme is offered to businesses in the Sandwell region to support expansion projects. The initiative will match-fund SMEs' expenditure on capital purchases, consultancy, development of staff, diversification and refurbishment. Black Country Gold will also provide one-to-one guidance to successful projects, helping them to develop a robust growth plan. Councillor Ian Jones, Sandwell Council's Cabinet Member for Jobs and Economy, said: "Black Country Gold could help businesses to obtain financial assistance to progress capital and revenue projects that will support growth. There is a huge number of ambitious, innovative SMEs in Sandwell who would greatly benefit from the funding and the tailored support that comes with it." The Black Country Gold scheme runs until the end of June 2015; the deadline for applications is March 2015. Applications submitted by Thursday 18 September 2014 will be considered by the assessment panel in October.