South of Scotland Enterprise officials claim agency has created and supported 10,000 jobs
Officials at South of Scotland Enterprise claim they have helped create and support 10,000 jobs since the body was established five years ago.
The enterprise agency was officially launched in April 2020 in a bid to boost inclusive growth across Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders.
And in its first five years, it's claimed it has provided grants of more than £50million to 800 businesses, with every £1 it invests resulting in more than £5 being invested in the region.
SOSE chairman, Professor Russel Griggs OBE, said: 'When we launched, we made a promise to the people of the south of Scotland that we would be bold, different, ambitious and would listen.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
"We are proud of the support we have provided – from Covid-19 support to creation and safeguarding of jobs to development of entrepreneurship and innovation – and believe it highlights the importance of the south having its own dedicated enterprise agency.
'Moving forward, we will ensure we are adaptive, forward thinking, innovative and responsive to the needs of our fantastic region.'
SOSE also believes it has created or safeguarded around 10,000 jobs and helped distribute more than £26million during the coronavirus pandemic.
A total of 626 businesses, social enterprises and community groups were supported, with nearly 90 per cent still operating.
Scotland's First Minister, John Swinney, said: 'The Scottish Government is proud to support SOSE's efforts and I look forward to seeing how the agency goes from strength to strength in the future.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
13 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow cafe wants to rival Starbucks to do this amazing thing
Craig Johnson, founder of Launch Foods, joked he would like to open beside 'every Starbucks in the city and give them a doing' as he revealed the news. The former banker and restaurateur admitted feeling ambivalent about his charity's landmark achievement. Craig Johnson (Image: Newsquest) 'We're chasing down one million free meals, which one side of me thinks is great,' he said. 'The other, the proud Scot in me, thinks it's atrocious because it shouldn't be happening. 'We need to do more, though, because that allows me to fund the charity and its activities feeding kids. I would dearly love to sit alongside every Starbucks in the city and give them a doing, in the nicest possible way.' Speaking on the Murphy Wealth Human First podcast, Craig added: 'There are other ways we can feed even more children, with the right support. I don't view Launch as a success story – nowhere near it. 'We're still in challenging times, but the challenges are part of the journey.' Launch food truck (Image: Newsquest) Craig, who owned the Merchant City's popular Loop restaurant, began Launch Foods in 2018, visiting Glasgow schools in an American-style Airstream Rocket caravan. 'I happened to be watching the news one evening, and they were talking about food surplus, which is madness – tonnes of food being disposed of, inefficiencies in the food sector,' he said. 'I'm getting a bit grumpy, so I turned the channel only to hear about food scarcity, showing images of Glasgow. 'I thought they'd got the wrong video, until they explained that one in four kids in the city are living in poverty and in certain parts it's one in two.' Craig Johnson (Image: Newsquest) He added: 'Given what I'd watched a couple of minutes beforehand, I thought, how can I connect these things? But doing it in a way that avoids stigma? 'And that's how Launch came about.' Big food and drink companies donate surplus products, which are then used to produce nutritious meals and snacks at the charity's base in Anniesland Business Park. 'I promote it to the kids that they are helping us with the environment, and we feed every child at the end of the school day to avoid any stigma,' added Craig. The first Launch Coffee café opened on Bothwell Street in 2022, helping to provide a regular income stream to fund an after-school meal for every pupil at six Glasgow primaries. Earlier this year, the charity secured a property on Cresswell Street – just off Byres Road – to open its second Launch Coffee, and talks are also underway on a third location. With the extra sales, Launch Foods now hopes to exceed the one-million-free-meals milestone in the next few weeks. Craig is one of a series of prominent Scottish businesspeople interviewed by Murphy Wealth CEO Adrian Murphy for Human First. Previous guests include Scotland and Glasgow Warriors international turned entrepreneur Adam Ashe, Sub Club founder Mike Grieve, and former Dyson and Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
B&M to shut popular Scots store as shoppers left ‘heartbroken'
The exact date the store will close has been revealed SHUTTERS DOWN B&M to shut popular Scots store as shoppers left 'heartbroken' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) B&M has revealed that it is set to close a popular store in Scotland - and shoppers are "heartbroken". The bargain retailer's busy branch in Musselburgh, East Lothian, will close for good in a matter of months. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 A Scottish B&M store is set to close in months Credit: PA The store is located on the city's High Street and has been a staple in the community for years. But it is set to cease trading early next year in another blow to the high street. Staff will pull the shutters down for the final time on January 9, 2026. The reason for the closure is currently unclear. However, bosses have said that they are switching their focus to the nearby store in Fort Kinnaird instead. The store has recently undergone a huge revamp and is only a 12-minute drive away from the Musselburgh branch. Bosses have also revealed that all members of staff will be relocated to alternative stores in the area. A spokesperson for B&M said: "All colleagues from this store will be offered employment at local B&M stores in the surrounding area after the closure on January 9. 'We're committed to bringing the best possible B&M stores to East Lothian. "We recently upgraded our nearby Fort Kinnaird store – now home to a garden centre and a much bigger range just two miles away, ensuring we continue to offer the best possible shopping experience and broadest range in the area.' Shoppers are racing to B&M for Molly-Mae's latest collection & there are some incredible scents for less than a fiver Locals have been left gutted by the closure, and many have flocked to social media to share their disappointment. One person said: "More empty shops. No parking in Musselburgh to encourage retailers. Shame for staff." Another added: "A bloody disgrace". Someone else wrote: "Such a shame, it's always busy". While a fourth posted: "Heart is BROKEN, this is gutting". And a fifth chimed in: "Shocking news". It comes after The Sun previously revealed that another B&M store in London closed back in March. B&M was founded in 1978 in Lancashire, with the first store opening in Blackpool. The retail chain now has over 700 stores across the UK and employs over 35,000 staff. And over four million customers walk through the doors of stores across the country every week. RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
Wales Online
an hour ago
- Wales Online
Andy Murray's new life now as he and Kim welcome new addition after heartbreak
Andy Murray's new life now as he and Kim welcome new addition after heartbreak The three-time Grand Slam winner retired from tennis just over a year ago Murray is enjoying his retirement from tennis alongside Kim It's been just over a year since Andy Murray hung up his racket for good after announcing his retirement from tennis. The former British number one walked away from the game last summer having cemented his status as one of the greatest players of his generation, winning 46 titles, including two Wimbledons and one US Open, as well as three Olympic medals. However, he certainly hasn't started taking it easy in retirement, having got stuck in to several exciting new ventures and made some big announcements since ending his playing career. Those new ventures have included teaming up with long-time rival Novak Djokovic to work as the Serbian star's coach for the Australian Open, with that move taking the tennis world by surprise last year. However, while they reached the semi-finals Down Under together, their shock partnership came to an end after just six months. Murray has since been linked with new coaching roles with the likes of British stars Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper, but for now, his interests lie elsewhere having taken up new roles outside of tennis. Andy Murray's new career roles In May, it was confirmed that the 38-year-old had taken on a new job as a venture capitalist and become an associate partner at Redrice Ventures in London, who he previously worked alongside as part of a co-investment in sports wear company Castore in 2018. In the role, Murray heads up a group of athlete advisors - the Redrice Sports Collective - to help find investment opportunities, particularly in the sports business. Article continues below The former tennis ace's expanding investment portfolio already includes the luxury five-star Cromlix Hotel that he bought with his wife Kim in 2013 for a reported sum of £1.8 million, while he has also invested in Game4Padel, the UK's largest operator of padel courts. Last month, it was revealed that Murray had landed another big business deal, teaming up with Scottish potato company Albert Bartlett - a long-time supplier to Cromlix - to market their products. "I was lucky during my early playing days to have access to the kit and facilities required to play and develop, and as my career progressed, to have the best diet and training advice available," said the two-time Wimbledon champion as the deal was announced. "I am excited to partner with Albert Bartlett to showcase the importance of a balanced diet and an active lifestyle to communities across the UK. I hope the project inspires people to play and enjoy sport throughout their lives, at whatever level they are able." Family addition Of course, retirement hasn't been purely about finding new work for Murray, with the Scottish star also able to devote more time to his family, as well as his love of golf. The couple, who married in 2015 after meeting at the US Open 10 years earlier, are now proud parents to four children - Sophie, Edie, Teddy and Lola. However, their family has just got a little bit bigger, with Murray announcing on Instagram that they had recently got a new dog. Sharing a photo of him posing and smiling with the flat-coated retriever, the tennis legend wrote simply: "New addition to the family". Content cannot be displayed without consent It comes after Murray revealed last year that the family's beloved border terrier Rusty had died, as he penned an emotional tribute to the "loyal and protective" dog on social media. "You were the most loyal and protective companion our family could have wished for," he wrote. "You were so patient and gentle with the kids and we all learned so much from you. The house feels empty without you in it. "The noise you made when you wanted a plate to lick or a biscuit to chew on or when you wanted anything for that matter was infuriating at times! But today we would do anything to hear it again," he continued, with a 'heartbroken' emoji. "Love you Ruzz," Murray added. "Rest easy poppet x" Article continues below That tragic news came two years after Murray and his family said goodbye to their other Border Terrier, Maggie May, who died in 2022. The tennis ace had previously revealed how his beloved dogs were his "biggest supporters", adding: "Whether I win or lose, they still want to hang out with me".
