NatWest loans £420K to local businesses seeking to create local job opportunities

Universal Live, a West Yorkshire locally owned events business that specializes in corporate events, is expanding its business thanks to a £420k loan from Lombard, part of the NatWest Group. The expansion of the Keighley based business will aid in the company being able to create new jobs in the local area.  

The corporate events company, who operate with £3M worth of equipment, have had regular contact with NatWest for the last twelve years but it wasn’t only until 2021 that the business decided to bank with them. 

Since then, Universal Live have been able to utilise their asset finance company Lombard to secure a £420k loan which has helped the business grow, resulting in the creation of new jobs. The company employed sixty-two staff members post-covid and since joining forces with Lombard, the company have since employed seventeen new members of staff.  

In addition, Universal Live previously started up an apprenticeship scheme where they’re able to provide work experience and ultimately, full time employment to individuals in the local area. 

Thanks to financial aid from Lombard, the company are forecasting ten jobs being created in the next two years and thirty jobs being formulated in the next five years as the company continues to head towards an upwards trajectory. 

Finance Director Andy Robinson (pictured above) has also cited how thanks to the financial aid from Lombard, the company have been able to expand and develop different areas of the business such as investing £250k in solar panels for their offices. 

Andy Robinson expressed his delight about the journey, stating: “One priority for the business was always to be able to give back to the community, and being able to create jobs and work opportunities is a great way to do so, and it’s all thanks to Lombard! Thanks to the financial support, we’ve been able to acquire more equipment for the businesses meaning we need additional staff to support us. 

Chris and Aidan from NatWest have also been a pleasure to work with and have been on hand 24/7 to ensure the process has been as smooth as possible and I couldn’t thank them enough.” 

Andy Robinson has always wanted to be involved in a business that prioritizes the client’s needs and creative vision and strongly believes Universal Live do just that. The company attend live, virtual and corporate events across the UK and rent out technical equipment such as projectors, screens and speakers.   

Aidan McGrath and Chris Steel, Relationship Managers at NatWest said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Universal Live on this as the work they aim to do in the community is amazing. We all know how hard it’s been with employment, especially after the pandemic so to be able to work with a company who are keen on creating more jobs to benefit the community is amazing! 

At NatWest, we’re continuously on the lookout to support businesses that want to give to back to the community and Universal Live is no exception.”