LANCASHIRE County Council has unveiled a new multimillion-pound scheme to help the county’s businesses recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

The £2.25 million Rosebud Rebound Fund aims to provide loans from £10,000 to £300,000 to firms across different sectors and aims to fill the gap as similar central government backed programmes end.

Lancashire County Council cabinet member for economic development, environment and planning Michael Green hailed the scheme.

He said: “As we have seen, there have been a multitude of challenges facing Lancashire companies as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“One of these has been accessing the growth capital necessary to put them back on track for their scale-up trajectory, along with supporting new and emerging companies and industries.

He added: “The launch of the Rosebud Rebound Fund is a critical part of rebuilding and re-energising the local economy and demonstrates the flexibility of our fund managers.

“By adapting our terms, applications and approvals process, we are now able to provide an even quicker, easier and more fluid process for companies to access the funding they need to return to growth.”

The fund forms part of the wider £11.25 million Rosebud Fund which has been supporting small and medium sized enterprises in the region for over 30 years.

Recent beneficiaries include software company YUDU which received a £300,000 loan and gifts company Boe House, which received £160,000 worth of funding.

Due to the difficulty firms have faced during the pandemic, the fund has also now streamlined its applications and approvals process on loans up to £50,000.

Rosebud fund manager Matt Robinson said: “Having worked with Lancashire businesses for more than 30 years through our flagship Rosebud Fund, we are immersed in the local community, and understand that Lancastrians are resilient and robust and they require funding to match their ambitions.

“This has enabled us to tailor the Rosebud Rebound Fund directly to Lancashire businesses and provide an agile and flexible service to support those businesses looking to grow in spite of the economic conditions.

“We remain very much open for business, and we look forward to working closely with entrepreneurs to help the local economy rebound.”

To find out more about the Rosebud Rebound Fund, visit lancashire.gov.uk/business/finance-and-funding/rosebud-business-finance/.