Case Study: Zoo2U-Covid-19 Business Support

When the Covid-19 lockdown began in March, Alsager-based Zoo2U had to close like many businesses in the sector. Zoo2U’s instant loss of custom, whilst still having to meet the expenses of looking after the animals, meant they needed additional financial support, having already received a grant from their local authority, Cheshire East Council. They contacted the Growth Hub to discover what further financial support may be available.

After understanding the business and its changed financial position, the Growth Hub helped Zoo2U:

• Access the Zoos Support Fund which provided up to £10,000 worth of grant funding
• Understand the other Covid-19 financial support options available
• By introducing them to Marketing Cheshire

Zoo2U director Melissa Mews said, “We are grateful for the support offered to us, we are a small business which really suffered from the lockdown period, animal care comes at a great cost and we could not furlough our zookeepers! We could have been facing closure and our animals rehomed to other zoos, who were also in financial crisis. Fortunately, as we hold a zoo license, we were able to access the funding required to maintain animal welfare.”

Andy Devaney, Business and Innovation Director at Cheshire and Warrington LEP commented, “Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic the Growth Hub has changed it’s focus from helping businesses to grow to helping businesses survive and guiding them to the support available for them. Zoo2U like so many others in this sector faced challenges with cashflow and the ongoing running costs of operating an attraction. We were very pleased to help them access the Zoos Support Fund and confirm the other support available from government.  We hope that by introducing them to Marketing Cheshire, Zoo2U can also benefit from their expertise in working with attractions and tourist destinations.”

Find out more about Covid-19 support available here

Find out more about Zoo2U here