High Street business support

This project provided tailored support from Riseley Consulting, designed specifically for high street retail and hospitality enterprises. This support programme offered:

• personalised sessions with a business advisor
• expert guidance tailored to specific business needs
• follow-up appointments
• help tracking progress
• tailored action plans

This package of support remains in place to North Somerset businesses throughout Year 4 of UKSPF under the Business Support Unlocked (BSU) programme. Click here to find out more on the Year 4 page.

Tech for Growth

The Tech for Growth programme, managed by Business West in partnership with techSPARK, was designed to help North Somerset enterprises adopt new technologies to improve operations. Whether businesses faced tech challenges or looked to explore new digital opportunities, this programme provided consultancy to guide them through the process.

With targeted advice and support, the Tech for Growth programme empowered businesses to:

• enhance processes, productivity, and competitiveness
• expand into new markets
• attract more customers and boost sales
• build resilience and prepare for future challenges

Grants to local communities and partners

Grants of between £3,000 to £20,000 were distributed through an open competitive process led by North Somerset Council (NSC) for the second round of the UKSPF Community Grants.

NSC welcomed proposals for projects that supported local priorities and aligned with the following UKSPF interventions:

• E6: Local arts, cultural, heritage & creative activities
• E9: Impactful volunteering and/or social action projects
• E11: Capacity building & infrastructure support local groups
• E12: Community engagement schemes, local regeneration
• E14: Relevant feasibility studies

You can see which projects were funded in 2023 and 2024 on North Somerset Council’s dedicated webpages.

Opportunity North Somerset

Opportunity North Somerset is an independent triage service, tailored to help individuals navigate the landscape of employment support. We guide you straight to the services that are best suited for your specific needs.

Whether you’re just starting out, changing careers, or seeking ways to upskill, our dedicated team is here to ensure that you’re paired with the best resources, training, and guidance. We connect you with local organisations, training programs, and counsellors that match your personal and professional aspirations.

Click here for more information on Opportunity North Somerset in Year 4 of UKSPF.

Moving Up North Somerset

Moving Up North Somerset, delivered by Weston College, supported individuals at different stages of their employment journey, offering tailored pathways for:

• NEET young people, including care leavers (aged 16-24)
• Those who wanted to return to the workforce
• People in work seeking career progression

This initiative connected every individual with the right resources, training, and opportunities, ensuring a tailored approach to achieving professional aspirations and growth.

Women’s Work Lab

A comprehensive programme designed to support women returning to the workforce after a period of childcare.

This support provided:

• An initial interview to pinpoint challenges
• One month-long training for core employability skills
• Tailored coaching sessions
• A work placement with a local organisation and
• Subsequent guidance on CV writing, job searching, and interviews

The programme also included ongoing mentoring and emphasised the importance of in-demand sectors like green skills, digital/tech, and construction.

Click here to find out about Women’s Work Lab in Year 4 of UKSPF

Empower - employment support for those with learning difficulties

Empower, delivered by Weston College, supports individuals with learning difficulties or autism on their journey to meaningful employment.

Click here to find out about Empower in Year 4 of UKSPF

Step Forward - employment support for those with mental health barriers to employment

Voluntary Action North Somerset continued their ‘Step Forward’ programme, assisting individuals with mental health challenges in their journey towards employment by providing tailored support ranging from peer interactions to employment preparation.

Tapping into the value of each participant, the programme not only addressed barriers like anxiety and low confidence but also promoted volunteering as a powerful tool for social engagement and skills building.

This programme could be accessed through Opportunity North Somerset.

Town Centre Business Support and Occupancy Grants

A pilot programme that ran until April 2025, offering business support and capital grants to local organisations and businesses. This initiative aimed to:

• Support existing organisations and businesses to remain in town centres
• Attract new organisations and businesses into vacant units

Capital grants of up to £10,000 were available for some of the supported organisations.

Net Zero: Business Grants Programme​

The Net Zero Business Grants Programme ran until April 2025 and aimed to support small and medium size businesses (SMEs) and CICs with installing decarbonisation works to help move towards a net zero North Somerset area.

Businesses could apply for a capital grant of up to £30,000 to perform energy efficiency measures, such as LED replacements, draught proofing, installation of air source heat pumps and renewables.

Match funding of up to 70% was offered for businesses depending on the size, location and type of project.

Click here to find out more about the Green Business Grants Programme in Year 4 of UKSPF

Broadway Lodge: Aftercare Service

Broadway Lodge offered an Aftercare Service in Weston-super-Mare for anyone in abstinence-based recovery from addiction who was economically inactive and looking to work towards employment.

The service was provided by a counsellor and a key worker to facilitate therapy groups, workshops, and 1-1 counselling sessions. The aim of the service was to support people in early recovery to build and maintain abstinence-based recovery, build recovery capital, and access education, training and employment support.

Centre for Sustainable Energy: Home Energy Advice Helpline

UKSPF part-funded a freephone home energy advice service for households in North Somerset and the surrounding areas. The advice line offered free, impartial advice to all households, particularly to those in or at risk of fuel poverty.

The advice line provided energy advice and support covering various topics, including energy-saving measures, income maximisation, grants and benefits, and renewable energy technologies.

Although no longer funded by UKSPF in 2024/25, the hotline remained open to North Somerset residents.

Business Support Unlocked (BSU)

Delivered through the hive, the Business Support Unlocked programme was a free at the point of access pre-start, early growth, and business resilience programme that provided North Somerset businesses with a package of flexible and accessible support to help them overcome challenges and succeed well into the future.

Support included:

• A 3.5 day Starting in Business Course
• Advice Sessions delivered through face-to-face appointments, by phone, or via online platforms
• A series of workshops that focus on up-to-date information on key priorities and sectors

Click here to find out more about BSU which continues in Year 4 of UKSPF

Visit West

Visit West (VW) is the officially accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for the visitor economy in Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucester, and North Somerset.

UKSPF funded North Somerset’s membership of Visit West. This membership enabled local visitor economy businesses to join a network of more than 700 like-minded businesses, working together to develop and market the region to consumers, travel trade, and the business events industry. This grew North Somerset’s visibility and connected member businesses with routes to market, business support, industry insight, unique marketing opportunities, exclusive member events, networking and more.

Click here to find out more about Visit West.