A popular Altrincham restaurant and bar has nearly doubled its capacity after securing funding through a council-backed grant scheme.
West Beverly, on Shaw's Road, has used a Shop Improvement Grant to build a 26-seat outdoor dining area in its back garden, complete with a canopy structure and ceramic floor tiling.
It's part of a £35,000 expansion the business has undertaken this year.
Owner Justin Orozco said the funding had been a big help: "The grant money is a good chunk of that which has really made it happen for us."
The venue, which branched out from Orozco's original California Coffee and Wine on Oxford Road, has been trading on Shaw's Road for around two years and now employs 36 people.
The grant, worth up to £10,000 and requiring businesses to match fund the same amount, comes from Trafford Council's Town Centre Shop Improvement Grant scheme, backed by Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
West Beverly was one of 23 businesses to benefit in the scheme's second round.
Across Trafford, the latest round created 33 new full-time equivalent jobs and saw 2,460 square metres of commercial floorspace refurbished. Grant recipients collectively invested a further £1 million of their own money alongside the public funding.
Since launching, the scheme has supported 77 businesses, created 92 full-time equivalent jobs and saved an estimated 45,000kg of carbon.
Cllr Liz Patel, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration, said: “The aim has been to support new start-up businesses and help existing ones thrive - which in turn has created new jobs and improved the economic growth and wellbeing of Trafford.
“Trafford has great town and village centres and we want them to keep developing and improving so there is always something new and exciting to attract residents and visitors to spend time and money there.
"One of the Council’s priorities is to foster a thriving economy and the Shop Improvement Grant scheme is one way that we can make this happen.”
