Two grants worth £65,000 turned a derelict Bridgnorth bank into a bakery that doubled its staff. Every Shropshire UKSPF scheme is now closed to applications.

A derelict former bank on Bridgnorth High Street now turns out between 1,500 and 1,600 loaves a week, and the bakery that took it on has doubled its staff from six to 12. Shropshire Council put £65,000 of grant money into the move. (Shropshire Council newsroom, 2 September 2026)

No other Shropshire business can now apply for the same help. Every project funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in the county is closed. The council’s own inward investment service puts it plainly: “All projects in Shropshire have now been successfully delivered and so are closed to any further applications until further notice.” (Invest in Shropshire, UK Shared Prosperity projects)

What the money bought

Catherine’s Bakery moved out of smaller premises into a vacant former bank on Bridgnorth High Street in 2025. The Food Standards Agency register lists the business at 21 High Street, Bridgnorth WV16 4BF. (FSA)

The council says the move was backed by two grants, each of which contributed towards 50 per cent of the total costs:

  • a £10,000 Small Equipment Grant
  • a £55,000 grant from the West Midlands Growth Programme

Both were funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The money went on renovation and equipment. Because the building was a bank, several original features had to be kept, including the safes, which the owners adapted for storage.

The council’s figures for what followed: the workforce went from six to 12 part-time staff, around 90 per cent of products are now made on site, and on a busy Saturday the bakery can turn out 2,500 rolls. Owners John Powers and Fiona say customers travel from Wolverhampton and Ludlow.

The schemes that paid for it have both shut

The Small Equipment Grant Scheme offered Shropshire businesses between £2,000 and £10,000 to buy equipment or improve premises. It was part of the wider Rural England Prosperity Fund programme, which provided almost £2.9 million for rural economic development across Shropshire between 2023 and 2026.

The council’s own deputy leader said in August that it has gone and nothing has taken its place. Councillor Alex Wagner, cabinet member for transport and economic growth, said: “Unfortunately, this funding has now come to an end and, to date, has not been replaced. That means fewer opportunities for rural businesses to access the kind of practical support that has delivered real benefits across Shropshire.” (Shropshire Council newsroom, 7 August 2026)

The other scheme is closed too. The West Midlands Growth Programme, which offered established Shropshire businesses £2,500 to £100,000 and is administered by Birmingham City Council, is listed as “currently closed to new applications”.

What UK Shared Prosperity Fund money has done in Shropshire since 2022

Across the county since 2022, the council says the fund has helped create 204 jobs, supported 1,351 enterprises and paid for 237 business grants, alongside volunteering, green space and skills work. Shropshire was awarded roughly £15 million between 2022 and 2025, then a further £1,431,774 of capital and £2,892,904 of revenue funding for 2025/26. The council’s notes to editors add that no successor funding has been agreed beyond March 2026.

What it means for you

If you run a Shropshire business and were waiting for the next grant round, there is not one at the moment.

  • The capital grants are closed, not paused with a date. The Small Capital Grant Scheme for Business and the county’s UKSPF capital projects round both carry the line “applications for this grant are now closed”.
  • The West Midlands Growth Programme is the one to watch, because it is run by Birmingham City Council rather than Shropshire, and its enquiries address is wmgp@birmingham.gov.uk.
  • Advice-based support is a different question from cash. The Invest in Shropshire page still lists the delivery partners and their contact addresses for the skills, leadership, net zero and manufacturing programmes, even though the funding round they sat in has ended.
  • This is a national funding decision, not a local one. The council is lobbying for a replacement; it does not control whether one arrives.

For the businesses already trading, our Shropshire business directory lists independent shops and services across the county, and Shropshire house prices tracks what the towns those businesses sit in are doing.