Peterlee-based business leader Richard Swart is on
a mission to help small firms recover from the
Covid pandemic.
The Open North Foundation was officially launched
this summer – the culmination of months of planning
by a small group of individuals passionate about the
North-East business community and determined to see
how they could come together to support companies.
The aim is to provide grants of up to £5,000 to
companies that meet its qualifying criteria and, over
time, it also hopes to offer wider consultancy support
and advice.
However, before it can make grants available, it must
first raise funds and to do that it is reaching out to the
region’s business community for financial support.
Even before the launch, the foundation – supported by Wear
Business – had secured financial donations from within the business
community and since then the level of pledges has grown steadily.
To have real impact, the aim is to raise hundreds of thousands of
pounds.
Chair of Open North Foundation is Richard Swart, global sales
director of Berger Group Europe in Peterlee.
“This is a unique venture to help in the unparalleled times that we
are living in,” said Richard.
“The directors of Open North Foundation are drawn from different
disciplines and market sectors, but they all have the common goal of
protecting the economy of the North-East.
“It is our way of helping, we want to be involved, the pandemic will
impact on nearly every business sector, and the formation of Open
North Foundation is our response.
“Many people have given of their time so far to get us where we
are. We also know that the wider business community will want to be
involved and so we are now moving from the launch stage into direct
engagement with companies and individuals who wish to make cash
donations or provide other assistance, in-kind.
“It has been an exceptionally fast transition from an initial idea to
the formation of a not-for-profit company, but everything is in place
for us to assist good companies that have been badly impacted by the
pandemic. With support, many of these companies will survive, they
will save jobs and, in time, they will create new jobs.
Joining Richard on the Open North board is Barclays area business
manager David Foreman, Wessington Cryogenics director Gill
Courtney, Stephenson-Mohl Group director Mark Stephenson, Tait
Walker director Paul Shields and 2018 Tees Businesswoman of the
Year Claire Preston.
And movement has also been inundated with offers of help from
an ever growing army of ambassadors and supporters, all keen to play
their part in the revival of the regional economy.
An impressive list of ambassadors include highly connected
and influential personalities such as James Ramsbotham, Gillian
Marshall, Jamie Ollivere, Jonathan Moreland, James Kyle, Arthur
Hodgson, Sarah Slaven, Nicki Clark, Kevan Carrick and Caroline
Theobald.
But Richard warned: “We have to move very quickly as
government support in terms of grants and the job retention
programme, which focusses on the furloughing of staff, will end in
October.
Leadership – the Open North Foundation board is made up of
Berger Group global sales director Richard Swart, 2018 Tees
Businesswoman of the Year Claire Preston, Barclays area business
manager David Foreman, Wessington Cryogenics director Gill
Courtney, Stephenson-Mohl Group director Mark Stephenson and
Tait Walker director Paul Shields.
“When one realises that 215,000 workers were furloughed in the
North East Local Enterprise Partnership area, representing 23.7% of
the total workforce, we begin to see the extent of the problem we face.
“Furthermore, of 600 companies interviewed through the North
East Growth Hub, 97% confirmed that they had been impacted
by Covid-19, 85% worried about future income and 35% were
concerned about potential closure.
“If Open North Foundation can help a large number of smaller
companies to survive, then we will have played our part in the
revival.”
Richard says Covid-19 is undoubtedly affecting us all – socially,
economically, culturally and emotionally.
“It has brought the biggest economic shock of our lifetimes, with
no straightforward recovery,” he added.
“This will bring about challenges for our businesses as they
welcome employees back to the workplace and for our people as they
begin to move around the region again.
“The impacts of Covid-19 will vary but it is already clear that
smaller businesses based in our cities, urban areas, towns and villages
stand to suffer the most. We have to try and protect as many as we
can, the region will be a far better place if they survive, prosper and
grow.
“Open North Foundation will play its part in ensuring that
happens but we cannot do that without the legendary generosity of
the North-East business community.
“Since our launch we have received a number of pledges of
financial support, so there is now strong momentum. We need to
build on that rapidly and that is where our fellow businesses will play
such an important role.”
For further details on Open North Foundation and
to pledge much needed financial support, please
go to opennorthfoundation.co.uk.
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