Daniel's Bright future (From Gazette & Herald)

Daniel's Bright future

Business Link York and North Yorkshire's Bright Sparks programme has allowed a young upholstery company to develop its business and relocate, moving from a pig shed at Newton-on-Rawcliffe to design studios in Nunnington.

D L Upholstery was established in 2003 by Daniel Loughran, who has been involved in the upholstery trade for ten years, offering upholstery designs and craftsmanship using high quality materials. With help accessed through Bright Sparks, Daniel has moved his business to Nunnington design studios, joining local artists and creating a crafts quarter comprising ceramics, sculpture and wood carvings artists.

Daniel's enthusiasm for putting something back into the North Yorkshire community and keeping a dying craft alive has driven him to develop his business further.

He turned to the North Yorkshire Moors and Coast business advice agency (NYMAC) - a partner organisation of Business Link York and North Yorkshire which delivers Business Link services - for advice on gaining financial support and improving his business skills. NYMAC's connections in the area and business expertise helped Daniel to find new premises and made his financial support application successful.

Bright Sparks is one of a number of business support services available to businesses in rural areas of North Yorkshire as part of the Objective 2 Business Support Programme. The programme is funded by Yorkshire Forward and the European Regional Development Fund, and is managed by Business Link York and North Yorkshire.

Through Bright Sparks young entrepreneurs can gain day-to-day objective advice, access business focused courses, find information on business planning, marketing and finance, and develop connections with like-minded entrepreneurs. In Daniel's case this included help with an application to a rural IT programme for support towards the cost of establishing a website and online selling facility.

Daniel said: "I was tired of living the nine-to-five life and wanted to feel like I had achieved something for myself at the end of a working day. Setting up my own business was a dream and is very rewarding but has taken a lot of hard work to get this far.

''I am just grateful that I had the support from NYMAC and have had people to bounce ideas off and steer me in the right direction."

Angela Langton, Bright Sparks business adviser, said: "D L Upholstery is a good example of what the Bright Sparks programme is all about. It has provided support and guidance where Daniel has needed it but at the same time has allowed him to take charge and learn more about how to take his business forward.

''Daniel wants to make a real difference, employing local people to help keep this trade alive. He has recently taken on his first full-time member of staff and will soon benefit from the increased business which will result from the online selling facility. Daniel has certainly come a long way since his days at the pig sheds."

Bright Sparks was set up by Business Link York and North Yorkshire to provide information and advice to people between the ages of 16 and 30 who want to set up their own business, particularly in rural areas. Since its launch in 2004, the programme has helped more than 40 young entrepreneurs in the Scarborough and northern Ryedale area to set up a business.

Updated: 11:04 Wednesday, June 01, 2005