A special £270,000 fund has been launched to boost the tourism industry in Flintshire.
Businesses that contribute to the county’s visitor economy are being urged to apply for money from the second phase of the Flintshire Tourism Grant Fund before the closing deadline on July 31.
The first phase of the programme saw 36 grants totalling £462,000 awarded, creating 15.5 full time equivalent jobs and safeguarding 117 jobs.
Grants are distributed by regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd who are calling on firms to get in touch.
Cadwyn’s business partnerships officer Donna Hughes visited Clwydian Range Distillery to see how owners Fiona Lewis and Simon Ollman used a grant from the initial tranche to grow their business.
The husband and wife team run the distillery from their home at Lixwm, near Holywell, creating the award-winning Cariad Gin.
They received a grant of more than £7,700, with the funding being used to buy distilling equipment as well as a shipping container for storage.
The funding also met the cost of a gazebo and ice machine which the couple use when they stage gin tasting sessions at bars and outdoor events.
According to Donna, the distillery was a great example of the kind of business the grant scheme, funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, was set up to support.
She said: “The Flintshire Tourism Growth Fund is aimed at businesses that contribute to visitor economy in Flintshire as a whole.
“We have had successful applications from cafes, the retail sector, farm shops and delis – anything which is contributing to the visitor economy in Flintshire.”
Donna urged businesses to get their applications in as quickly as possible.
She said: “The message to businesses is you need to be quick because the deadline is at the end of July.
“Any businesses considering applying for a grant should read the Guidance Notes on the Cadwyn Clwyd website and then go the link to the online application form is also on the website.
“”It would also be helpful if they phoned either myself on 07833 084352 or Carwyn Jones on 01490 340500 to briefly explain what they need the grant for.”
A grateful Fiona Lewis said: “We couldn’t have grown the business without the grant.
“We are organically grown; it would have taken many years to buy the necessary machinery and equipment needed.
“For so many small businesses, these grant schemes are a crucial part of their growth and development.
“One of the best things about the programme is being able to contact the team so easily.
“If you’re stuck you can just give them a call, the support we have received was fantastic. The grant really has made a big difference.
“The storage area we have now for example allows us to buy in bulk, which gives us a cost saving and reduces our carbon footprint.
“And we now have storage space for everything we use for our events.
“Having the gazebo is just great because we are now more visible at events, it has definitely increased sales because people can easily see us and know where we are.”
The couple launched the business in 2018 and are often helped in the operations by their three children.
The couple started distilling gin after Simon suffered a life changing brain haemorrhage back in 2013 which prevented him from returning to the career he enjoyed as a civil engineer.
Fiona said: “We were looking for some sort of physiotherapy that would aid Simon in his recovery and for something that we could do together as a family.
“We took him to a gin event and he tried the gin, said it tasted like bonfire, and said he wanted to make his own.
“So that’s where it started, I bought him a 10-litre copper alembic still and after a couple of years of trying and perfecting our recipes we launched in 2018.
“We launched Cariad Gin at Archie’s Wine Bar in Prestatyn amongst family and friends who really supported us, Archie’s went on to stock our gin behind the bar and then all of a sudden we had other people asking if they could become stockists”
The couple initially distilled the gin in their home but now have a distilling room in their garden as well as a tasting room.
Fiona works full time during the day and works in the gin business in the evenings and at weekends.
The distillery makes five flavours of gin, with its blackcurrant gin winning a gold award in last year’s Wales Distilled Awards.
Simon was named distiller of the year at the same awards event.
The couple also make vodka with its Pure and Simple Vodka also winning a gold award in 2024.
Fiona said: “We love doing what we are doing, especially as a family.
“We never focused on growth before, but it is something we will be focusing on as a family in the future, especially now we have had the grant.
“I would absolutely encourage businesses to learn more about the grant scheme.
“The help and support you get with your application is brilliant.
“There are so many fabulous small businesses in Flintshire which could benefit immensely from the grant scheme.”
A variety of other businesses received support in the first phase of the grant scheme, including EV charging points, solar panels, landscaping, kitchen upgrades, glamping pods, training and even sheep hurdles.
Existing micro, small and medium businesses, and new business start-ups within the tourism and visitor economy sectors in Flintshire are eligible to apply for a grant.
The project aims to encourage enterprises to foster innovation and investment which contributes constructively towards the tourism and visitor economy within Flintshire.
The Flintshire Tourism Growth Fund project is funded by the UK Government through the Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), through the ‘supporting local business’ investment priority.
The project’s aim is aligned to the UKSPF aims to boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards by growing the private sector, with focus on supporting micro and small enterprises within Flintshire.
