UKSPF Visit Stoke-on-Trent: A City of Imagination

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has received £373,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to deliver a visitor economy programme Visit Stoke-on-Trent: A City of Imagination. This project supports Stoke-on-Trent’s Visitor Economy Strategy (VES) 2022-2027 which aims to transform the City into one of the region’s most important cultural tourism destinations within the next five years. 

In line with the Visitor Economy Strategy, the UKSPF funded programme will support:

• delivering a small grants scheme (up to £10k, revenue only) to revive the area's leisure, hospitality and tourism service industry to improve performance, capacity and quality of offer.  Open to both businesses and organisations subject to meeting the eligibility criteria;
• support for leisure and tourism SMEs delivered by sector specialists via seminars, workshops, 1-2-1 business advice;
• building better entertainment programming in the city.

Visitor Economy Business Support Programme

We are delighted to offer our free 1-2-1 business support and business support workshops led by visitor economy experts at Epona Marketing. The support is available to eligible visitor economy businesses in Stoke-on-Trent. 

The first set of business support workshops have now taken place, but more workshop dates will be announced for autumn 2024. Please register your interest for receiving FREE 1-2-1 business support by completing this short survey

Visitor Economy Small Grants Scheme

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has now launched a visitor economy grants scheme offering grant funding of between £1,000 and £10,000 funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Grants are available to businesses and organisations that meet the eligibility criteria.

The grant programme covers revenue items only and, alongside other business support initiatives funded through the project, will be used to revive the area's leisure, hospitality and tourism service industry to improve performance, capacity and quality of offer.

Applications are actively encouraged to take advantage of the £220,000 available in grants before the programme ends in March 2025. A grant evaluation panel will assess and score all applications according to their strategic fit, deliverability within set timescales, subsidy control compliance and eligibility, and project impact in the local visitor economy.

The Programme has a fixed end date of 31 March 2025 and a limit on the amount of grant available each year 2023/24 and 2024/25.  All payments for invoices must be defrayed within the grant award year.

Businesses and organisations are eligible to receive one grant either in 2023/24 or 2024/25 financial year. Grant applications are now open for spending in 2024/25.

Visit Stoke, the city’s dedicated visitor economy service is administering this programme and will guide eligible businesses through the application process, advising on programme delivery and UKSPF compliance.

For a copy of the application guidance and application form, please email visitorgrants@stoke.gov.uk

About the UK Shared Prosperity Fund…

Visit Stoke-on-Trent: A City of imagination project part funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

For more information regarding the fund, please email visitorgrants@stoke.gov.uk or telephone 01782 232362