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Business, Coronavirus, Financial Support & Funding, Government Updates, Scotland, Your Business and Covid-19

Scottish wedding caterers to benefit from new wedding grant

Posted on by Sophie
27
Jan

The Scottish Government has announced a further £10m has been added to a fund supporting the wedding sector.

In recognition of the ongoing challenges faced by the sector, a further £10 million has been added to the £15 million announced in December for the sector and its supply chain.

Launching today (28th January) the fund will provide one-off grants of up to £25,000 for eligible businesses in the sector impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, including wedding venues, photographers, caterers and suppliers.

Finance Minister Kate Forbes said:

“This £25 million fund will ensure one-off grants of up to £25,000 reach eligible business as quickly as possible and there is no equivalent fund in other parts of the UK.

“The pandemic has had a severe impact on Scotland’s wedding sector, and we know that the current restrictions, while entirely necessary in our fight against COVID-19, continue to take their toll on the sector. I’d encourage all those who think they are eligible to find out more about applying – we want to help as many businesses survive this pandemic as we can.”

Am I eligible for funding?

In order to apply for the grant, businesses must be in one of the following sectors;

  • Venues
  • Videographers
  • Photographers
  • Marquee Hire (includes tipi)
  • Wedding Attire
  • Florists & Event Stylists
  • Caterers
  • Cakes
  • Celebrants
  • Transport (not including taxis)
  • Event Supplies (Cater hire, decorative items)
  • Hairdressers & Make-up Artists (Non-mobile)
  • Entertainment (Band, DJ, Piper, String Quartet)
  • Jewellery Designers/Makers/Sellers
  • Wedding Exhibitions/Events
  • Wedding Publications or Listing Sites
  • Wedding Stationery
  • Other Specialist Niche Suppliers (Photo Booth, Event nannies, event planners etc)

Your business must also meet the following criteria:

  • Be operating in Scotland with a Scottish trading address
  • Have started trading on or before 31 December 2019
  • Have been generating an annual turnover of at least £10,000 before March 2020 (or on a pro rata basis if you hadn’t been trading a full year by March 2020)
  • Be a micro, small or medium enterprise as defined by the European Commission definitions.
  • Be your main income (if you’re a sole trader). People with full time employment who occasionally provide products or services to the wedding industry will not be eligible
  • Have been generating at least 50% of its income from wedding bookings before the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Have lost at least 50% of its overall turnover due to the pandemic
  • Intend on continuing to trade in the wedding industry after the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Not have received a one-off £25,000 payment from the Hospitality Sector Top-Up Payment (this is the amount given to businesses with a Non-Domestic Rates rateable value of £51,000 or over). If you have received this automated payment, you will have been notified within the last few weeks

How do I apply?

To find out more and to submit an application, click here.