We are all well-aware that COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has already had a huge impact on our day-to-day lives and this will only intensify over the coming weeks and possibly months.

CEIS Group including its companies CEIS Ayrshire and DSL Business Finance like any other social enterprise are being challenged by recent unprecedented events.

The safety and well being of our staff are paramount and as per Government guidance we are no longer working together in offices.  The CEIS team is now working from home and very much open for business. We are well prepared to continue to deliver our services safely and flexibly using a host of digital solutions.  We will continue to deliver an enquiry service, one-to-one support, workshops and other communication on-line.

Our services over the coming weeks and months will change as:

• We will conduct our one-to-one support via telephone or video conference facilities.

• The majority of our workshops will now be delivered as webinars or where this is not possible, as with our finance workshops, cancelled until further notice. If you are already signed up for one of our upcoming workshops, you will be emailed a link to join the webinar in the coming days or advised of the workshop cancellation.
• We will continue to process business loans and support those who find themselves unable to maintain current payment plans
• We will work remotely with clients who are postponing their events or wish to move these online
• We will continue to offer skills, training and job readiness for those in Ayrshire

We don’t know how long this situation will last or what the coming months will be like, but we know it won’t be easy, so here are some of the ways we think we can help:

1. Just Enterprise, the national business support contract in Scotland, is changing from its standard delivery of business development support to digital delivery of a business recovery and resilience service. Our consortium partners are working as hard as they can to reconfigure the service and further information on this will be available at justenterprise.org
2. If you have a current business loan or are in the process of applying for a business loan and have any questions or concerns, please contact your designated loan officer at DSL Business Finance
3. As a response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Scottish Government has set up a new fund to support charities, social enterprises and enterprising third sector organisations. The Third Sector Resilience Fund (TSRF) was announced on 18 March 2020 by Communities Minister Aileen Campbell as part of a £350m support package for the sector as a response to the Coronavirus pandemic. This fund will support charities and social enterprises who are at risk of closure due to a sharp decrease in income or that are unable to deliver their services during this difficult period. The fund will distribute £20m of emergency funds over the coming months to help these organisations to stabilise and manage cashflows over this difficult period. The Fund will be delivered by Firstport, Social Investment Scotland and the Corra Foundation and will provide grants between £5,000-£100,000. In addition, there will be up to a further £5m available in fully flexible, 0% interest loans starting at £50,000. The three delivery organisations are working as fast as possible to get the fund up and running, so these crucial funds are distributed to organisations most in need. More information about the fund, eligibility, criteria and application process will be available in the coming days.
4. For further information on resources and how others in the sector are responding to the Coronavirus pandemic, visit https://socialenterprise.scot/resources/covid-19-and-social-enterprise/

These are unprecedented times and we are all working out the best way to carry on with our daily lives.  We continue to follow Government advice and please do likewise ……… stay safe!

If there are other ways you think we can help, please get in touch with staff directly or by emailing:

• ceis@ceis.org.uk for all enquiries relating to business support and event management
• info@dsl-businessfinance.co.uk for all business loan enquiries
• enquiries@ceisayrshire.co.uk for all enquiries relating to jobs and personal development skills and training
• admin@justenterprise.org for all enquiries relating to the Just Enterprise business support programme

We will aim to reply as soon as possible and certainly by the close of the next working day

Best wishes

CEIS Group staff and boards