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Improving the accessibility of Advisory services across rural South Ayrshire

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Overview

CJM Lumina has worked with local authorities across Scotland, and so we understand the regional differences from one area to the next. Responding to South Ayrshire Council’s call to improve the uptake of its rural economic development offering, we provided in-person advisory services in various communities across the authority.

Brief

An area bursting with agricultural heritage and rural communities, South Ayrshire Council wanted to tailor its economic development output in rural areas. As the appointed partner, CJM Lumina delivered half-day surgeries in localities across the region which allowed businesses to ‘drop in’ and receive support in a location that’s accessible and convenient for them.

Delivery

Whilst business advisory is a service we’ve provided time and time again, there were a number of key considerations in the delivery of this project:

  • Selection of team members to deliver advice – The requests for support were wide ranging, covering various topics including accounts reviews, financial forecasts, self-assessment, financial issues, funding, and business plan reviews. This meant we had to carefully select advisors who had knowledge of all the elements most pertinent to rural businesses.
  • Where we identified common issues with many businesses in an area, we planned one-to-many sessions which created efficiencies for the local authority.
  • Across the one-to-one sessions, we offered times that might be more suitable to working business owners, such as pre-work (8am – 10am), lunchtime (12pm – 2pm) and evenings (5pm – 8pm) which increased uptake of the support on offer.

Results

Across the course of the project, which was run for two years, CJM Lumina delivered sessions to over 100 businesses. Feedback from business owners was incredibly positive, expressing appreciation for Advisors coming to their locality, as opposed to them having to travel to central offices in Ayr and other towns.

Testimonial

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