Success stories

Amity Brew Co is a local craft brewery, offering a range of draught and canned beers. They provide tours of the brewery, an outside terrace, inside bar and weekly events for the community. They also have their own merch for sale. The three directors took out their loans in April 2020, at £25,000 each.

Leo Winstanley founded Hand-i-Craft, based in Formby, after losing the ability to use his dominant hand and arm in a car accident. Now, it is a successful woodworking shop, stocking handmade items, finishes and accessories that are sold online.

Lemon Tree Soft Play Café took out a Start up Loan of £25,000 creating a haven for children and families in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Physicists Charles Altuzarra and Yash D Shah, founders of Metahelios each received a £25,000 loan in July 2022 to kickstart their business. They are aiming to deploy the technology into space on a rocket from one of the UK’s spaceport sites, capturing data via a satellite that can be used to monitor climate change and orbiting space debris.

Pallavi decided to follow her dreams of becoming a business owner in April 2021 after the Coronavirus pandemic forced her to re-evaluate her priorities. She left a career in finance and took out a loan of £19,000 in 2022 to curate and share natural homewares crafted by rural artisans from around the world, drawing inspiration from her mother’s unwavering passion for home decor and sustainability.

The pair were helped initially by a £2,000 Start Up Loan to invest in their first commercial 3D printer. Three years on, with 40 more printers and a further £12,000 recently received from the British Business Bank, Lunia 3D has cemented itself as a key player on the flourishing 3D printing stage.

Zee with help of Start up Loans opened up a scuba diving center in Northern Ireland offering scuba diving and snorkelling courses we offer activities such as water biking, paddle boarding and kayaking.

Shelley Smith, founder of Finnegan’s Whiskers, has opened Suffolk’s only cat café and feline foster home based in Sudbury. Shelley has partnered with local cat rescue centre, Mel’s Rescue, to home cats at the café and alleviate pressure on animal rescue centres. Visitors to the café will also have the option to adopt cats they interact with and participate in animal therapy sessions. These will be arranged at the café on an ongoing basis, along with events such as crafting and a book club.

Starting with an online business during the pandemic, Bex opened her first store in Nansledan near Newquay in 2021, selling hand-picked vintage items alongside sustainably produced new brands. She relocated to a brand new shop in Nansledan over the summer and has just opened a sister store, Love of Vintage, in the same complex.

Best friends of 22 years Fabian Clark and Rohan Radhakrishnan co-founded the business in 2021 after seeing a gap in the existing all-or-nothing booze market. The low-alcohol, low-calorie gin product gives customers a great tasting alternative, without the possible side effects of the higher-alcohol options.

Gaëlle Chatelard took out a £25,000 loan in August 2021 through delivery partner Virgin StartUp to help get her brand ETHOSA off the ground. ETHOSA is an innovative sustainable waterless personal care brand.

Learn more about Coffeesmiths, a locally sourced coffee shop in Norfolk, Norwich.

Katy Lassen borrowed £25,500 to grow into Harbour and Tide. Harbour & Tide is a modern local beach store in Margate, offering functional, joyful, and sustainable products for seaside life. The store was launched as a pop-up in 2022 and opened its first permanent location in Margate in Spring 2023.

Juliet Chibasa borrowed £3,000 in June 2023 to grow Lassad Care Services. Lassad Care Services, based in Chelmsford, is a domiciliary care business that offers a range of services for the elderly, children, and young adults, including personal care, light cleaning, attending appointments and day centres, walks, holidays, meals, and family support.

The Singing Spice Company took out their loan of £6,000 in February 2023. The company aims to take the stress out of cooking by creating packs of spice blends that are hand blended to family recipes going back three generations.

Lifted Drinks took out their loan of £25,000 in May 2023. Lifted Drinks, based in Staffordshire, creates an alcohol-free beer that offers the taste of the beverage while incorporating the post-workout benefits of a protein shake.

Matt Everett borrowed £10,000 in July 2023 to grow into Dragonfly films. Dragonfly films is a London-based video production company using state-of-the-art equipment and modern techniques to deliver high-end video content for businesses nationwide.

Robin Valley, co-founded by husband and wife entrepreneurs Wanchong Chen and Liang Zhang, is a wooden jewellery brand that combines innovation, sustainability, and unique design.