Case Study: CW Estates- Covid-19 Business Support

Like so many in the tourism and leisure sector, CW Estates, a small accommodation provider in Chester, was significantly impacted by Covid-19.

In March, Chris Williams, owner of CW Estates saw income from CW Estates stop and he faced an unknown date for reopening. Chris reached out to Marketing Cheshire and the Growth Hub for support to ensure his businesses’ survival during and after Covid-19, with immediate cashflow proving to be a problem.

A Growth Support Broker talked to Chris and assessed what Covid-19 financial support CW Estates would be eligible for. The broker determined that CW Estates would be eligible for several schemes and advised that the Bounce Back Loan Scheme would also help with immediate cashflow issues.

The Growth Hub helped Chris to:

• Receive a Bounce Back Loan of £10,000.00
• Access rate relief for next year for one of his properties as he had been paying Council Tax on two of his Holiday Homes for several years.
• Obtain a Discretionary Grant

Chris Williams, owner of CW Estates said, “As a small business we’ve really valued the help that we have received at this difficult time; from our interactions with Marketing Cheshire to working with the Growth Hub and Cheshire West and Chester Council, it has been clear that their aim was always to help us. With the financial support, we have managed to maintain our business and are now taking bookings again, without the help of everyone involved we would have faced difficult decisions. Our cashflow was obviously negatively impacted a lot by the pandemic and the finance we have received, has meant we have been able to continue trading.”

Andy Devaney, Business and Innovation Director at Cheshire and Warrington LEP commented, “When the Covid-19 pandemic began, the Growth Hub’s priority changed from helping businesses to grow to helping businesses survive and access the support they were entitled to. The Growth Hub team have been working closely with local authority partners and Marketing Cheshire throughout the pandemic to make sure businesses get the help needed. It is great to see the positive impact our combined efforts have had for CW Estates and that Chris has accessed the government support available. We look forward to continue working with them and other businesses, as they start to make plans for the future.”