01768 210276|office@cafs.org.uk

W&F Green Enterprise Hub Success Stories

W&F Green Enterprise Hub Success Stories2024-05-29T15:17:39+01:00

Success Stories

A range of case studies highlighting the decarbonisation experiences of local organisations.

Discover how other small businesses are reducing their carbon footprint and saving money, with support from the Green Enterprise Hub, through renewable energy, waste reduction, optimising their supply chains – and much more.

W&F Green Enterprise Hub case studies

Partner case studies

Donna Munro’s ‘Building Energy Efficiency’ case study series

The ‘Building Energy Efficiency’ case study series focuses on approaches to improving building performance identified in energy surveys with the target of reducing energy and carbon emissions. Each case study is designed to showcase a range of options to improve building performance, including the types of building, key issues to address for the business and challenges faced. With rising energy prices we want to give you the tools to address this challenge – improving the energy efficiency of your existing buildings is one of the key ways to reduce them.

Joanne Larty’s ‘Leaving a Legacy’ case study series

The ‘Leaving a Legacy’ case study series focuses on five ways of thinking that are at the heart of sustainability: connecting to place, future thinking, sharing knowledge, provenance craft and tradition, creating value from surplus. Each case study is designed to provoke discussion, showcase a range of businesses passionate about sustainability, and to inspire local businesses to think in new ways about how they develop their sustainability (and business) strategy.

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Art Gene’s ‘Low Carbon Barrow’ case study series

Full of Noises

Furness Media

Sea Cadets

Dandy’s Furniture Shop

Stollers

Refine your search

If you already have a specific aim in mind when it comes to making your business more sustainable, click one of the categories below to see how the Hub has supported others to achieve this goal.

Low carbon food

Food waste reduction

Renewable energy

Electric vehicles

Energy efficient buildings

Grant support

The Green Enterprise Hub offers a wide range of services. To see how other businesses have accessed and utilised our different offers, explore the categories below.

Low Carbon Food Advice

Food Waste Reduction Support

Energy Advice Visits

Electric Vehicle Advice Visits / Electricity Connection Capacity Checks

Grant Support

Are you interested to see what businesses like yours are doing to reduce their carbon footprint? Take a look at the relevant categories below.

Food and drink

Tourism

Accommodation

Entertainment

Manufacturing

Agriculture

What our clients have to say:

The Hub … identified potential energy savings that could reach approximately 7,000 kWh annually, reducing our carbon footprint, and offering the prospect of considerable cost savings … Their professionalism and assistance have been paramount in charting a course for a greener, more cost-effective future.

Jonny Williams, CANDO FM

The audit helped us understand where we were with the building … It flagged up things we hadn’t thought of, like insulating the loft hatches. It has also been really useful to refer to the audit in applications for funds. The auditor was incredibly helpful and patient, he understood the limits of what we could achieve and never sounded too preachy.

Joanne Mowbray, Farfield Mill

Simon was really helpful! We’ve had several meetings previously with sales people about EV chargers that have left us more confused than we started, so it was great to speak to someone impartial and informed! We have a much better understanding of what will work on the site, he was really easy to talk to and really enthusiastic about the project.

Emma Smalley, Basecamp North Lakes / Alpacaly Ever After CIC

Having a strong network of local businesses that are actively engaged in helping each other has been invaluable. It has helped us to identify new ways of becoming sustainable. The more we build and share knowledge across the region, the greater impact we can have on local communities and the places that matter to us.

Julie Doherty, The Plastic Bottles Co.

Feeling inspired? Contact our free Helpdesk to find out how we can help.

[email protected]

01768 210 276

[email protected]  |  01768 210 276

Find out if you’re eligible

Eligibility Criteria

This programme of support is designed for micro, small and medium sized organisations, that are based in Westmorland and Furness, and that are either commercial or social enterprises.

In detail, this means:

1. Location: the organisation must either have their business address in Westmorland and Furness, or must be delivering a substantial service in Westmorland and Furness. To receive a capital grant, the site of the investment must be within Westmorland and Furness.

2. Size: small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) are defined by the UK government in terms of number of staff, turnover and balance sheet as set out here.

3. Nature of the organisation: organisations need to be ‘enterprises’ which are ‘engaged in economic activity’, but this can be on a not-for-profit basis. To help define this, we can support businesses that:

  • Provide easily identifiable and saleable goods or services to customers or clients. Saleable goods or services could include those that are provided below market rate, if the organisation is able to do so through the use of other income, donations or volunteer time.
  • Have at least one member of staff earning an income from the organisation. The member of staff can be either the business owners or an employee.
  • Have a bank account.
  • Are formally constituted, as one of the following:
    • Limited companies
    • Business partnerships
    • Sole traders
    • Charitable companies
    • Charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs)
    • Charitable trusts
    • Co-operatives or Mutual ownership models
    • Community interest companies (CICs).

The exception is in relation to access onto our Purposeful Start-Up course. It is recognised that start-ups, by nature, are just setting out on a process and therefore do not have to meet this particular criterion to access that course. Is it expected however, that they will be aiming to become an enterprise of some sort in the near future.

4. Sectors: we can support private and charitable sector organisations in any industry. We cannot support public sector organisations, for example, state schools.

5. Specific exclusions do apply:

  • Faith, political or campaign-based organisations are ineligible. The exception here is if the organisation includes an enterprise ‘arm’, which is accessible to customers or clients of any faith or political standpoint. In these circumstances, support can be provided in relation to that enterprise part of the organisation only.
  • Housing providers. Bed and breakfasts and holiday-let businesses are eligible for support, provided that the accommodation is bookable for most of the year, i.e. operating as a business for most of the year. We acknowledge that the accommodation might also be the home of the business owner and that demand for accommodation is seasonal.

Subsidy Control

By supporting you through this programme, the Westmorland and Furness Green Enterprise Hub is offering you a Minimum Financial Assistance (MFA) subsidy under the Subsidy Control Act (2022). This applies to both non-financial assistance and grant funding.

You will be informed of the amount of MFA offered (i.e. the value of the particular element of support that you are interested in) when you request it. Before we provide that support to you, we require written confirmation that receipt of the support will not exceed your organisation’s MFA threshold. The threshold is £315,000 of MFA subsidy cumulated over this and the previous two financial years, as specified in section 36(1) of the Subsidy Control Act (2022). Confirmation must be sent by someone who is authorised to do so on behalf of your organisation.

We take this opportunity to remind you that you are required to keep a written record of the amount of MFA subsidy you have received and the date/s when it was received. The written record must be kept for at least three years beginning with the date on which the MFA subsidy was given. This will enable you to respond to future requests from public authorities on how much MFA subsidy you have received and whether you have reached the cumulative threshold.

Privacy Notice 

We are Cumbria Action for Sustainability.

This Privacy Notice tells you what we are doing with your personal data because of our involvement in the Westmorland and Furness Green Enterprise Hub project, which is running from 1st November 2023 to 31st January 2025.

Why we are disclosing information about you

To deliver our services.

How we ensure that the processing we do is lawful

We cannot use your personal data for any reason unless we have a lawful basis to do so. For this project we use:

  • The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party, or for the taking of steps at the request of the data subject with a view to entering into a contract.

How long do we keep your information?

Details of financial transactions and payments are retained for a period of 7 years.

All partners in the project will keep the details of organisations who take part in any activity related to this project for 2 years after the project ends.

Who do we share your personal information with?

We are part of a consortium of partners who are collectively providing support to organisations through the Westmorland and Furness Green Enterprise Hub. We will share your personal with other partners if they are supporting you, and sharing your personal data will allow us to refer you to them. It will also facilitate the smooth-running of the project, record outputs and outcomes and avoid duplication of records. The project partners are:

  • Cumbria Action for Sustainability
  • Cumbria Chamber of Commerce
  • Cumbria Tourism
  • Future Fixers
  • Lancaster University
  • Green Small Business
  • CBEN
  • A Muir Surveying
  • Verday
  • Donna Munro Consultant
  • Simon Brace EV Consulting
  • Art Gene
  • Electricity North West

We will also share your organisations’ name with the UK Government, via Westmorland and Furness Council, which is funding the Westmorland and Furness Green Enterprise Hub project. Your organisation’s name may be personal data depending upon the type and name of the organisation. This information is required by Westmorland and Furness Council to prove the effectiveness of the project.

Otherwise we will not share your personal information with any third parties, other than those who perform services for us and who are listed on our CAfS Privacy Notice.

When we share your personal data with these third parties, we require them to take appropriate steps to protect your personal information, and only to use the personal information for the purpose of performing those specific services.

We will never sell or distribute your personal information to any other third parties or make it public unless we have a legal obligation to do so.

Further Information

For information on your rights, how to complain and how to contact us, please refer to our main company our CAfS Privacy Notice.

Find out if you’re eligible:

This programme of support is designed for micro, small and medium sized organisations, that are based in Westmorland and Furness, and that are either commercial or social enterprises.

In detail, this means:

1. Location: the organisation must either have their business address in Westmorland and Furness, or must be delivering a substantial service in Westmorland and Furness. To receive a capital grant, the site of the investment must be within Westmorland and Furness.

2. Size: small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) are defined by the UK government in terms of number of staff, turnover and balance sheet as set out here.

3. Nature of the organisation: organisations need to be ‘enterprises’ which are ‘engaged in economic activity’, but this can be on a not-for-profit basis. To help define this, we can support businesses that:

  • Provide easily identifiable and saleable goods or services to customers or clients. Saleable goods or services could include those that are provided below market rate, if the organisation is able to do so through the use of other income, donations or volunteer time.
  • Have at least one member of staff earning an income from the organisation. The member of staff can be either the business owners or an employee.
  • Have a bank account.
  • Are formally constituted, as one of the following:
    • Limited companies
    • Business partnerships
    • Sole traders
    • Charitable companies
    • Charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs)
    • Charitable trusts
    • Co-operatives or Mutual ownership models
    • Community interest companies (CICs).

The exception is in relation to access onto our Purposeful Start-Up course. It is recognised that start-ups, by nature, are just setting out on a process and therefore do not have to meet this particular criterion to access that course. Is it expected however, that they will be aiming to become an enterprise of some sort in the near future.

4. Sectors: we can support private and charitable sector organisations in any industry. We cannot support public sector organisations, for example, state schools.

5. Specific exclusions do apply:

  • Faith, political or campaign-based organisations are ineligible. The exception here is if the organisation includes an enterprise ‘arm’, which is accessible to customers or clients of any faith or political standpoint. In these circumstances, support can be provided in relation to that enterprise part of the organisation only.
  • Housing providers. Bed and breakfasts and holiday-let businesses are eligible for support, provided that the accommodation is bookable for most of the year, i.e. operating as a business for most of the year. We acknowledge that the accommodation might also be the home of the business owner and that demand for accommodation is seasonal.

By supporting you through this programme, the Westmorland and Furness Green Enterprise Hub is offering you a Minimum Financial Assistance (MFA) subsidy under the Subsidy Control Act (2022). This applies to both non-financial assistance and grant funding.

You will be informed of the amount of MFA offered (i.e. the value of the particular element of support that you are interested in) when you request it. Before we provide that support to you, we require written confirmation that receipt of the support will not exceed your organisation’s MFA threshold. The threshold is £315,000 of MFA subsidy cumulated over this and the previous two financial years, as specified in section 36(1) of the Subsidy Control Act (2022). Confirmation must be sent by someone who is authorised to do so on behalf of your organisation.

We take this opportunity to remind you that you are required to keep a written record of the amount of MFA subsidy you have received and the date/s when it was received. The written record must be kept for at least three years beginning with the date on which the MFA subsidy was given. This will enable you to respond to future requests from public authorities on how much MFA subsidy you have received and whether you have reached the cumulative threshold.

Privacy Notice 

We are Cumbria Action for Sustainability.

This Privacy Notice tells you what we are doing with your personal data because of our involvement in the Westmorland and Furness Green Enterprise Hub project, which is running from 1st November 2023 to 31st January 2025.

Why we are disclosing information about you

To deliver our services.

How we ensure that the processing we do is lawful

We cannot use your personal data for any reason unless we have a lawful basis to do so. For this project we use:

  • The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party, or for the taking of steps at the request of the data subject with a view to entering into a contract.

How long do we keep your information?

Details of financial transactions and payments are retained for a period of 7 years.

All partners in the project will keep the details of organisations who take part in any activity related to this project for 2 years after the project ends.

Who do we share your personal information with?

We are part of a consortium of partners who are collectively providing support to organisations through the Westmorland and Furness Green Enterprise Hub. We will share your personal with other partners if they are supporting you, and sharing your personal data will allow us to refer you to them. It will also facilitate the smooth-running of the project, record outputs and outcomes and avoid duplication of records. The project partners are:

  • Cumbria Action for Sustainability
  • Cumbria Chamber of Commerce
  • Cumbria Tourism
  • Future Fixers
  • Lancaster University
  • Green Small Business
  • CBEN
  • A Muir Surveying
  • Verday
  • Donna Munro Consultant
  • Simon Brace EV Consulting
  • Art Gene
  • Electricity North West

We will also share your organisations’ name with the UK Government, via Westmorland and Furness Council, which is funding the Westmorland and Furness Green Enterprise Hub project. Your organisation’s name may be personal data depending upon the type and name of the organisation. This information is required by Westmorland and Furness Council to prove the effectiveness of the project.

Otherwise we will not share your personal information with any third parties, other than those who perform services for us and who are listed on our CAfS Privacy Notice.

When we share your personal data with these third parties, we require them to take appropriate steps to protect your personal information, and only to use the personal information for the purpose of performing those specific services.

We will never sell or distribute your personal information to any other third parties or make it public unless we have a legal obligation to do so.

Further Information

For information on your rights, how to complain and how to contact us, please refer to our main company our CAfS Privacy Notice.

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