Wine producer raises a toast to ‘lifeline’ grant support

A vineyard business will be able to expand its operations thanks to a grant from the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

The first Growing Hull and East Yorkshire grant – £40,495 – has been awarded to RJ Wilson Ltd, owner of Little Wold Vineyard, in South Cave.

Not only will the grant support the vineyard in expanding its production capabilities, by creating an on-site winery with facility warehousing, it will also create two new roles at the business.

The expansion will give visitors a more in-depth experience, as they will be able to see first-hand where the wine is made.

By building the facilities to produce wine on-site the company will make its operations more cost effective – cutting production costs and enabling duty-free storage.

Humber LEP’s Growing Hull and East Yorkshire programme is funded through the Getting Building Fund, part of the Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.

The Humber region received £13.4m towards projects that create jobs and allow businesses to achieve their growth ambitions.

Alice Maltby, partner at RJ Wilson, said: “We are hugely grateful to the Humber LEP for selecting us to receive this grant.

“It has been a lifeline in these difficult times and is enabling us to grow our business despite the pandemic.

“We look forward to growing our team and producing more award winning wines here in East Yorkshire.”

Stephen Parnaby, chairman of the Humber LEP, said: “We’re thrilled to be awarding Little Wold Vineyard our very first Growing Hull and East Yorkshire Grant.

“This funding, part of the Government’s Getting Building Fund, is allowing businesses with growth ambitions to expand their operations and create and safeguard jobs.

“We’re pleased this East Yorkshire business will now be able to create a new winery, bringing production in-house, and that this will provide not just new jobs but a better visitor experience for their customers.”