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The British Business Bank has lent \u00a320 million to more than 2,000 entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland under its Start Up Loans scheme (Gareth Fuller\/PA) <\/p>\nSome 12% of borrowers were under 25, and within that group 32% were not in education, employment or training. 20% of borrowers were unemployed.<\/p>\n
The Start Up Loans programme (www.startuploans.co.uk), while operating with a commercial focus, exists to help open up the finance market to underrepresented groups, who might otherwise struggle to access finance, so they can start viable businesses.<\/p>\n
Among those to have benefitted from the scheme is Norman Allen, owner of Dirty Harry\u2019s Specialist Cleaning Services NI, who said the Start Up Loan he took was the catalyst for kick-starting his new niche business \u2013 crime scene cleaning.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe took two loans, with the first one helping me put a van on the road while the second one was used for cashflow and the day-to-day running of the business.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mentoring element has also been very beneficial. There are a number of areas you can receive mentoring in such as marketing, but as someone new to running a business my mentoring has been centred on building up my skills as a business owner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad I took the plunge. Being your own boss is extremely satisfying and the control I now have over my time is really pleasing. There\u2019s lots of hard work and I\u2019m responsible for every element of the business, but I wouldn\u2019t swap it.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Susan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CGNSKUHQA5NAZERYXTU4RYGSLI.jpg\")
British Business Bank\u2019s devolved nations director Susan Nightingale <\/p>\n
British Business Bank\u2019s devolved nations director Susan Nightingale said: \u201cStart Up Loans has the power to help people fulfil lifetime ambitions, and Northern Ireland has great entrepreneurial spirit, with many people harbouring aspirations of being their own boss.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s encouraging to see this \u00a320 million milestone being surpassed and it\u2019s pleasing to see loans being issued right across Northern Ireland. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are thinking about starting your own business, the British Business Bank is committed to helping you access the right finance to start up and scale up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Start Up Loans works with Enterprise Northern Ireland to reach businesses in need of start up finance and support.<\/p>\n
Michael McQuillan, chief executive of Enterprise NI, said: \u201cThe success of the Start Up Loans programme in Northern Ireland is a testament to the resilience, creativity, and determination of our local entrepreneurs. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re proud to play a role in delivering this vital support, helping thousands of individuals turn bold ideas into thriving businesses. <\/p>\n
\u201cSurpassing the \u00a320 million milestone is not just a financial achievement – it\u2019s a clear signal that the entrepreneurial spark is alive and well in every corner of Northern Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n
Secretary of State Hilary Benn, said: \u201cI\u2019m delighted that 2,000 local businesses in Northern Ireland have now benefited from this scheme, which sits alongside the British Business Bank\u2019s \u00a370 million Investment Fund for Northern Ireland, which has supported economic growth by backing innovation and creating opportunities for new businesses across Northern Ireland. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe UK Government is committed to working with the NI Executive so that these businesses have the help they need to develop even further.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From kids\u2019 soft play centres to luxury golfing escapes and mobile gaming firms to artisan pie shops, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":298503,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[58571,49851,1144,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-298502","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-british-business-bank","9":"tag-loans","10":"tag-northern-ireland","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114930957992537902","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298502"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298502\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}