Rosebud is a blossoming success story

Business owners, partners and supporters attended a special Rosebud event as it approaches its 40th anniversary.

Rosebud, part of Lancashire County Council’s Business Growth Service, aims to support organisations in Lancashire to grow and scale.

The evening at La Locanda in Gisburn was a chance to reflect on the impact of Rosebud and look ahead to the future for Lancashire’s SMEs.

Rosebud has provided flexible finance and hands-on support to hundreds of Lancashire businesses, helping them create jobs and navigate periods of uncertainty for the past four decades.

The organisations represented in the room spanned sectors and growth stages.

Mark Gibbons, funding and partnership manager at Rosebud, says a personal approach is central to the Rosebuds success.

“Lancashire businesses don’t need one-size-fits-all finance,” he said.

“They need people who understand their challenges, their markets and their ambition. Our role is to back good ideas and good people, and to stay with them as they grow.”

Among those attending was Derry Green of The Secret Garden Glamping - a Skelmersdale business that has benefitted from Rosebud funding.

Derry said: “Rosebud believed in what we were trying to build. That confidence makes a huge difference when you’re growing a business.

“It wasn’t just about the money, it was the guidance, the conversations and knowing there was someone on your side.”

Richard Stephenson of YUDU Sentinel, award-winning secure comms platform in Clitheroe, said: “Rosebud has been an integral part of our success, and the loan Rosebud provided gave us the capital needed to make our idea a reality.

“We are proud to be built in Lancashire and Rosebud is a true asset to the region.”