UKSE loans create 150 jobs in the West Midlands

From left: regional manager Midlands Steve Grice and regional executive Mike Lowe of UKSE

UKSE (UK Steel Enterprise), a business support and funding organisation that provides flexible funding and workspace to businesses in traditional steel areas of the UK, has created 150 jobs by delivering loans to help businesses in the West Midlands to grow. UKSE Midlands area manager Steve Grice and regional executive Mike Lowe have overseen lending totalling £2.5 million to 16 companies on behalf of UKSE over the past two years.

Providing strategic loan and equity packages of up to £1 million to generate growth, create jobs and bolster the economy, UKSE’s team based in Keys Business Village, Cannock, supports SMEs across Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry, Staffordshire and Telford. Celebrating 50 years of building relationships and supporting communities, UKSE makes equity investments, ensuring management stays in control and offering a flexible exit policy. Unsecured loans up to £200,000 are also available, often without the need for personal guarantees.

The lender has operated nationally since 1975 and appointed Steve and Mike to deliver investment in the West Midlands to give added focus in the region. Among the firms to benefit is family business Safe Haven Training, a specialist in first aid learning, which almost doubled revenues in a year since accessing finance from social impact lender UKSE.

Safe Haven Training, based in Mill Street, Cannock, is providing work for twice the number of people employed prior to receiving funding from UKSE in 2024. The company has grown by delivering high quality workplace courses to schools, nurseries, councils and businesses.

Realise our dream
Established in 2012, the training specialist used the UKSE funds to invest in a new customer relationship management (CRM) system, upskill staff and employ more trainers. In total Safe Haven secured a joint six-figure sum from UKSE and business investment specialists ART Business Loans.

Owner Shane Bryan said: “The investment from UKSE has transformed our business and allowed us to realise our dream of becoming a nationwide training provider, which would not have been possible otherwise. We have invested in a bespoke CRM system and have increased the number of employees from 25 to 50, including 18 full-time staff compared with 11 previously.

“Our revenues have close to doubled and we are working with some leading national and international companies, some of which are household names, as we are meeting a niche of focusing on first aid training for customers nationwide. Cashflow was always an issue for us but UKSE have been brilliant from start to finish, we could not have asked for better people to help us through the process.”

Married couple Cameron and Elizabeth Wakeman secured funding from UKSE to help them acquire Midland Wire Mesh Ltd in April 2024 when the original owners decided to retire. Established in 1975, the Halesowen industrial wire mesh manufacturer serves a wide range of sectors including construction, gardening, drainage and the pet industries.

Since the acquisition, Cameron and Elizabeth have grown the business by diversifying its services to include spot welding, metal inert gas welding and tungsten inert gas welding. They have invested in new machinery, including a guillotine, and implemented new processes to enable them to branch out into different sectors. The company has employed two new members of staff.

Business owner Cameron Wakeman said: “We would not have been able to buy Midland Wire Mesh without the help of UKSE, so we are very grateful for its support. Elizabeth and I always wanted to run our own business, and now we have realised our dream of doing so and are excited for the future. Sales increased in the last financial year, while profits have remained steady. This financial year we are on target to achieve our sales goals and could see turnover double since we took over the business. One of our biggest challenges is space, because we are growing, but we have invested in a new mezzanine floor, which has given us another 900ft².”

Benefitting the local economy
In addition to the Wakemans receiving £80,000 funding from UKSE, a further £95,000 was provided to support their purchase by West Midlands and Wales-based lender BCRS Business Loans.

UKSE Midlands area manager Steve Grice said: “We are pleased to have helped create 150 new roles through investment to support a range of West Midlands businesses with their growth plan, not only supporting each of them but benefitting the local economy. We are grateful to our network of introducers and investment experts who provide us with regular updates on the local business scene so we can deliver on the UKSE mission of enabling businesses and the people behind them to create jobs, grow and prosper.”

Mr Lowe said: “It has been a pleasure to work with businesses like Safe Haven Training and Midland Wire Mesh Ltd to support them in creating job opportunities. We get to know each company and their goals to ensure we deliver a funding package for them to shape a strong future.”

Nationwide, UKSE helped 105 companies in the last financial year, creating 700 jobs. UKSE is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Steel UK Ltd with a mission to enable businesses and the people behind them to create jobs, grow and prosper, within communities affected by current or historic changes in the steel industry and its jobs.

UKSE is marking five decades of dedicated support that has seen over £115 million invested in local businesses which has helped create more than 83,000 jobs by providing investment options including business acquisitions, management buyouts, company expansions or the purchase of new equipment.