A business support service set up by Bradford Council to help small companies to adapt and survive during the Covid-19 pandemic has been hailed a success by business owners.

Bradford District Microbusiness Support programme set up in November 2020 offered free professional advice, workshops and one-to-one sessions to hundreds of small businesses allowing them to innovate in face of pressures caused by coronavirus.

The scheme supported 140 businesses in one-to-one support sessions and 415 businesses registered for workshops run by Yorkshire- founded business consultants, Insight with Passion.

Many of those supported credited the service with their business’s survival.

The service offered new ideas for growth and covered marketing, e-commerce and customer engagement.

Advice on finances, cash flow and pricing was given along with guidance on recruitment and social media.

Samantha Yates from Lil Rabbitfoot in Shipley said: “As a sole trader, its invaluable to bounce ideas off someone else. The support programme reinforced the areas I needed to develop in and also gave me new options to explore.”

Becky Kettlewell from, Kettlewell Groundworks in Queensbury, said: “I’ve tuned in for quite a few of the live webinars offered to small businesses throughout the pandemic and they’ve been amazing.”

Kate Hardcastle from Insight with Passion, said: “Bradford needs a vibrant small business community as well as larger organisations to ensure a vibrant economy and wealth of opportunities for the area.”