Ward Hadaway partners with Scaleup North East to help firms get back to business

Ward Hadaway has teamed up with Scaleup North East to help companies impacted by the coronavirus pandemic put plans in place to get back to business.

Scaleup North East works with businesses with the potential to achieve high levels of growth and has continued to provide support to such firms in the midst of the current crisis.

The partnership with Ward Hadaway will see specialist lawyers provide a free ‘diagnostic’ call to businesses across the region, where they explore with shareholders and directors the challenges firms will face in the aftermath of the lockdown.

These sessions will help businesses identify specific steps that they can take to survive and thrive in these challenging times and beyond.

Craig Huntingdon, scaleup partner at Scaleup North East, said: “During the current pandemic, where the Government is trying to engineer a V-shaped recovery, the work of the Scaleup programme is more important than ever.

“We aim to ensure that businesses on a growth trajectory before the lockdown are able to help to get back on their feet, to retain talent, and to help lead the economy out of the downturn we are currently facing.”

Eligible North East-based SMEs will also be able to apply for up to 40 per cent funding towards up to £4,000 of legal advice.

Damien Charlton, commercial partner at Ward Hadaway, added, “In our diagnostic sessions, we are able to bring a different and fresh perspective to the challenges which management teams are facing.

“Sometimes these lead to specific legal projects – a review of leases, the renegotiation of a contract, changes to employment terms for instance – and so having this specific funding available will provide a useful helping hand to ambitious businesses during a period of careful financial restraint.”

RTC North is delivering Scaleup North East in conjunction with the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).