EFI (Loughton) staff go the extra mile for a customer

25 Jun 2020

There’s been unprecedented help for businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, but what happens if you get turned down for support to which you believe you’re entitled? That’s what happened to one of our customers, who twice had their application for government support rejected. It wasn’t until their Loughton Seedbed Centre Manager got involved and worked tirelessly on their behalf – appealing to the local authority and MP – that they finally got the grant they needed to provide them with security during these uncertain times.

Coronavirus has left many businesses in an uncertain position; this is especially true for small businesses whose work revolves around interaction with customers. This was the case for Masters Academy of Martial Arts, who provide martial arts training in Essex from our Loughton Seedbed Centre; with restrictions on group gatherings, the company was unable to run lessons, leaving the future uncertain.

The government’s Small Business Rates Relief grant of £10,000 was designed to help companies like Masters Academy of Martial Arts through these difficult times; unfortunately, when they applied for the grant, they were rejected on two separate occasions.

Business Centre Manager steps in

When our Business Centre Manager, Lorraine Lee, learnt of this, she was keen to see if there was anything she could do to help. Lorraine has a good working relationship with the customers as they have been operating at the Seedbed Centre since 2006; they told Lorraine they had been rejected on the grounds of the building’s description as a ‘workshop’.

Securing the business grant

Lorraine appealed the previous decisions not to give our customer the grant, stating that they were eligible regardless of the building’s description; alongside her appeal to the local council, Lorraine also wrote to the local MP to try to secure the grant. After her efforts, the local authority deemed that the customer was in fact eligible for the grant and awarded it.

In this instance, Lorraine went above and beyond the call of duty, true to the prevailing culture within Capital Space Ltd. As partners in our customers’ business success, our emphasis is on putting our customers first and always trying to go that one step further in providing an excellent service.

Coronavirus has left many businesses in uncertain times and now, more than ever, we are keen to help our customers where we can. In this instance, one of our staff members was able to secure a vital grant for a customer, helping to give them piece of mind.