The Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce will receive £2 million as part of the latest round of £20 million government funding to help businesses in the region.

The University of Derby and Dalepak in Northamptonshire are the other two beneficiaries from the Regional Growth Fund in the East Midlands.

A total of 50 companies and programmes will receive £300 million in the latest round of the RGF across the country, a government project to create sustainable employment and rebalance the economy.

Simon Beardsley, Chief Executive at the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are delighted with the news that Greater Lincolnshire will be receiving £2 million from the Regional Growth Fund.

“It was led by the Chamber and strongly supported by the Federation of Small Businesses, Greater Lincolnshire LEP and Lincolnshire County Council.

“The RGF bid will be used to support capital expenditure, giving Lincolnshire businesses the means to move into bigger premises or invest in new plan machinery and equipment.

“Since the recession we know that county firms have found it difficult to access finance for capital expenditure through conventional methods.

“So this news will be most welcome to companies that have high growth potential, but need financial support to make the next move.

Kate Storey from the Greater Lincolnshire LEP said: “Any extra funding for the LEP area is a huge boost, and £20m for the East Midlands will go a long way to securing future economic growth.

“We have always been happy to back RGF bids made by businesses. We gave our support to the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce bid, so we’re delighted to see this approved.”

Simon Beardsley added: “The really unique element to this work will be the role of a dedicated business advisor to support any applicant looking to enter the scheme.

“Where appropriate, business owners will be coached through the process and given advice on how to reap the most reward from their request.

“This will be most beneficial to SMEs who have growth potential, but may be put off in the past by the amount of paperwork needed to benefit from such a scheme.

“Through the RGF funds, our emphasis will be on helping Lincolnshire companies grow and develop; which in turn will create new jobs and support the local economy.

“And giving Lincolnshire businesses access to finance which will support their capital expenditure aspirations, will also put them on a level playing field with other regions of the UK that have benefitted from this support in the past.”

If you would like to know how your business could benefit from the new funding, contact the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce on 01522 523333 or email Simon.Beardsley@Lincs-Chamber.co.uk.

A new 60-bed residential home equipped to care for people living with Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is being built in Burton Waters near Lincoln.

The Barchester Healthcare care home will open to residents early next year, offering 24-hour care and creating around 100 new jobs ranging from carers and nurses to hospitality staff and administrators.

The home will have a dedicated area called a Memory Lane Community, which will provide care for people with Dementia.

All residents will have their own ensuite bathrooms, meals and daily activities.

Councillor Irmgard Parrott, Chairman of the West Lindsey District Council, was invited to break the ground of the new care home in celebration.

She was joined by Barchester’s Regional Operational Director, Paul Draper, the home’s General Manager Helen Wilson, and members of the construction team from Castleoak.

Helen Wilson said: “I very much look forward to when our home is open and is part of your community. I hope to meet with the many local groups who we can become involved with in the coming months.”

Paul Draper, Barchester Healthcare’s Regional Operational Director, said: “We’re very excited about the construction of our new care home in Burton Waters. Our future residents are going to really enjoy living in such a beautiful and nautical setting overlooking the marina.”

The West Cornwall Pasty Company shop in Cornhill in Lincoln has gone into administration, leading to a number of job loses in the city.

The national chain had severe financial difficulties and called in joint administrators David Chubb, Stuart Maddison and Robert Moran of PwC.

PwC managed to help the company save 34 of its stores nationally, selling them and assets to Enact, a private equity house, though the Lincoln store could not be saved.

Former footballer Danny Mills is one of the investors of the firm taking over the remaining shops.

Nationally, 94 jobs are set to be lost in the transition.

David Chubb, joint administrator said: “The company was facing severe difficulties meeting its financial obligations as a result of a combination of factors, and having run out of alternative options, sought the protection of administration.

“Unfortunately, there will be redundancies and we are doing what we can to support these employees.

“This business sale has preserved the majority of jobs and provides some much needed stability for suppliers and employees.”

Sales grew by 2.2% at Lincolnshire Co-op food stores for the first half of the society’s financial year.

Demand for bread and cakes made by Lincolnshire Co-op’s own bakers Gadsby’s, based in Southwell, rose by 8% in food stores.

Sales of local meat, produced by the society’s own butchery in Lincoln, went up by 7%, and sales of the Love Local range, featuring a different products from around the trading area, rose by 11%.

Total sales this half year were £142.6 million, a rise of 1.3% compared to the same period in the last financial year.

Group trading surplus (after member benefits and pension contributions) was £8.9 million, up from £8.5 million in the same period of the last trading year.

Currently, the society’s net assets stand at £271 million.

Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Co-op Ursula Lidbetter said: “We’re pleased to be able to report a positive trading result in continuing difficult trading conditions.

“It’s down to the hard work and dedication of our 2,700 staff and the support of our 230,000 members. My thanks go to all of them.”

In travel, sales increased by 27%, thanks to strong performances from existing agencies and new outlets in Boston, Grantham and Market Rasen.

Lincolnshire Co-op runs 48 pharmacies across the trading area and income from them increased by 3.2%.

The branches dispensed approximately 2.5m prescriptions and carried out over 4,100 medicine use reviews, which check customers are taking their medication correctly.

Lincolnshire Co-op’s funeral services developments this half year include the opening of South Lincolnshire Crematorium in Surfleet.

Work also started on a new purpose-built funeral home in Tritton Road in Lincoln.

Investment in new services included the opening of Crowle Food Store and a £3 million refurbishment of Parkside Medical Centre in Boston.

Lincoln High Street could soon be equipped with new visitor signage, including signs with digital technology built in.

The project, led by Lincoln BIG, would cost around £150,000 and aims to help visitor economy in the city.

There would be 18 new signs in total if planning permission is granted, and would be installed over the summer.

Digital signs would be placed in Cornhill, City Square and St Marks.

A survey from the University of Lincoln last year found 80% of people rated visitor information, information points, maps or signage in the areas as good.

Additionally, 93% of people surveyed would recommend Lincoln to family and friends as an enjoyable place to visit.

The signs are part of a larger project by Lincoln BIG to improve the visitor experience in the city.

The organisation launched the open top tour bus, support Visit Lincoln with funding, organise events in the city and extended the opening hours of the visitor information centre upon taking over control of the centre in 2010.

Since managing the centre on Castle Hill and altering the opening hours, the centre has seen a growth in income from under £30,000 to more than £100,000.

The centre is open for 34 hours per week during peak season and 23 hours for the rest of the year. However, due to the income growth, the centre can now be open for a minimum of 47.5 hours a week for seven days.

The number of visitors using the centre also rose from 73,810 in 2010 to 174,467 in 2013.

Lincoln BIG chief executive Matt Corrigan said: “The visitor economy is absolutely vital for Lincoln. It creates and secures hundreds of jobs, boosts the income of city centre businesses and grows the reputation of the city across the UK.

“We are delighted to be able to continue our investment in keeping that visitor economy buoyant and thrilled that our latest report shows the great strides we are making.

“On a strategic level we have helped launch and sustain the Visit Lincoln organisation and that plays a key role in promoting the city.

“But we don’t intend to rest on our laurels. Keeping the city clean, vibrant, safe and financially successful is our focus and we will continue to look for new and innovative ways to improve it.”

A new independent shop and meeting space, Lindum Books, has opened its doors in Lincoln Bailgate after a £40,000 investment.

The building previously occupied by Bailgate Cookware has been transformed into four individually sectioned rooms with the latest releases, classic titles, a cozy children’s corner, local literature and second hand paperbacks.

The rooms will also be available to hire for regular books clubs and meetings and the family-run business has also opened up two part-time jobs.

Entrepreneur Sasha Drennan is looking forward to a grand Easter weekend opening and has lots planned for the future of the business.

Sasha has headed various organisations and has 20 years of experience in senior management roles before deciding to do something different.

“Lindum Books is for people of Lincoln and for people visiting Lincoln,” she said. “There are some book shops in Lincoln, we have the big chains, we have The Works who sell discount books and a couple of other specialist independent shops but what we haven’t got is an independent book shop selling a bit of everything.

“The last few weeks have been manic and I have been inundated with people bringing in books and popping in to ask questions. I could not have done it without my family and friends.

“When I was trying to decide what I was going to do I was told I should be doing something I love and from as far back as I can remember I have loved reading.

“What’s exciting about the new business is that visitors can also benefit from friendly one-to-one recommendations, a pleasant reading and meeting space and a great place to swap second-hand literature. It’s the personal experience that makes us more special.”

Bifrangi is set to build a new research and development centre in Lincoln, subject to planning approval.

According to proposals by the engineering firm, the new centre will be built at the former Smith-Clayton Forge site on Spa Road.

If approved by the City of Lincoln Planning Committee, the centre will form part of Bifrangi successful bid for Regional Growth Fund money to provide modern facilities for the preparation of samples, development of new manufacturing methods and quality testing.

The two-storey building will accommodate 20 permanent staff, and up to 35 visitors near the new screw press site.

The building, designed by Stem Architects, will also allow for expansion at a later date.

Due to the site being in an industrial area, the building raises no concerns for visual amenity, impact on local residents or highway issues, apart from during erection of the large building.

However, Bifrangri may have to remedy the potential for contamination the land due to previous industrial uses.

The planning officer recommends the Planning Committee grants the proposal conditionally.

Bifrangi is investing more than £50 million in Lincoln, a move started with the arrival of a 27,000 tonne screw press for the facility in February.

The Chinese Embassy’s Minister for Economic and Commercial Affairs and a delegation visited Lincoln to see how sister city arrangements have strengthened the area.

City of Lincoln Council Chief Executive Andrew Taylor invited Minister Counsellor Zhou Xiamongt to visit the city and meet key local stakeholders at Lincoln Guildhall.

A special dinner was also hosted at the Guildhall by the Mayor of Lincoln Councillor Patrick Vaughan and Chief Executive Andrew Taylor, where they discussed opportunities to maximise the potential of the City Council’s links.

Guests included senior representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, Dynex, higher education institutions, Lincolnshire County Council and the China Britain Business Council.

Lincoln has a long standing collaboration with Tangshan, and the relationship between the city and country was added to only weeks ago when a similar arrangement was signed with Nanchang.

Chinese International Students who choose to study in the city are already estimated to bring in more than £32 million to the local economy each year.

Minister Counsellor Zhou Xiamong said: “We have been deeply impressed by the beauty of Lincoln and its growing connections with China.

“We see strong potential for trade and investment in both directions, especially education, advanced engineering particularly as the ties with the sister cities of Tangshan and Nanchang grow.”

Mr Andrew Taylor added: “I was delighted the delegation from the Embassy agreed to incorporate a visit to the city into their itinerary.

“This gave us the chance to show the importance we place on our relationships with China and what it means to businesses and universities, as well as the city as a whole.

“The Minister has stressed to me that we now have an open door to him and his team and he is particularly keen to talk about the potential for Chinese investment in advanced engineering and manufacturing businesses, especially where there is a research and development capability.”

The final touches are being put on the new Tesco Extra, which will open in uphill Lincoln next month.

The new 80,000sq ft. store, due to open on May 15, is situated behind the present Tesco supermarket off Wragby Road.

The larger supermarket is set to offer a larger variety of produce, household goods and clothing, plus new concepts too.

The current Lincoln workforce will transfer to the new store, plus 80 new jobs will created. Overall, around 450 people will work at the new supermarket.

Store manager David Waldron will officially open the new store with his team of colleagues at 10am on May 15. Customers can go in the new store from 8am.

He said: “We were overwhelmed with the response to our recruitment drive and it is fantastic to see a wave of new recruits joining some of our most loyal colleagues.

“The long serving members of the team have worked extremely hard serving the Lincoln community, each for more than 25 years, and it is a great asset to have their experience in our new store.”

David added: “Essentially we will be offering our customers all of what they love at their current local store and much more.

“The new store will have a new opticians and pharmacy service, fresh meat, fish, pizza and deli counters, F&F clothing department, a dedicated drive through Click & Collect grocery/general merchandise collection area and a Decks Carvery restaurant – allowing customers to have the complete shopping and dining experience.

“There will also be new time-saving checkouts, making the customer shopping experience even more convenient.

“This is in addition to a Connected Technology department where shoppers can discover more about Tesco mobile, the Tesco Apps, learn and experience a range of tablets and smartphones, play with the latest consoles in the gaming area, test out Blinkbox and chat to the specially trained team.”

Tesco will also have a special community room and kitchen, so local groups and charities have a place to meet and hold events or workshops, health groups, training courses or fitness sessions.

Additionally, sculptures designed by local schoolchildren will welcome customers as they enter the new store.

A new Lidl supermarket opened its doors in Lincoln on April 24 on the former Boultham dairy site on Dixon Street.

The Lidl store in St Mark’s closed earlier this week ahead of the opening of the new store.

The new Lidl opened to customers at 8am, with an official ribbon cutting opening ceremony by the Mayor of Lincoln, Councillor Patrick Vaughan.

The bigger, lighter store offers a doubled shopping area and a bigger in-store bakery.

The new store has also created between 15 and 20 new jobs in the city.

Lidl UK are now in the process of seeking an operator for the former St Mark’s site.

The City of Lincoln Planning Committee have approved an engineering firm’s plans to build a research and development centre on its Lincoln site.

As previously reported, Bifrangi submitted a proposal to build a large research and development centre next to its new £50 million screw press on the Spa Road site in Stamp End.

The centre will form part of Bifrangi’s successful bid for Regional Growth Fund money to provide modern facilities for the preparation of samples, development of new manufacturing methods and quality testing.

The large building will accommodate 20 permanent staff, and up to 35 visitors.

The centre has also been designed so it can be easily expanded in future.

Lincoln MP Karl McCartney praised the decision by council, and actively supports Bifrangi’s expansion.

He also recently met with the firm’s CEO Francesco Biasion and Director Giuseppe Saretta to talk about the project.

He said: “I am delighted that the City Council’s Planning Committee last night voted unanimously to approve Bifrangi’s proposed new research and development centre. This is great news for the City and will really help cement Lincoln as a base for engineering.

“It builds on the £50 million already invested by the company in our local economy and as a result of this project I am sure we will see more permanent jobs in the City and opportunities for Lincoln students within the engineering sector. It is great to see this project move forward following the £4.8million of RGF monies provided by the Government.”

A revamped Post Office in Lincoln held an official launch ceremony for its new look, inviting the city’s MP to cut the ribbon.

The Bailgate Post Office officially reopened at 10am on April 25, with Lincoln’s Conservative MP Karl McCartney doing the honours.

The improved Post Office will have longer opening hours and a modernised feel, with the original screened tills moved to make more space in the shop.

A variety of services will be available from the branch too, which is open 9am until 5.30pm Monday to Saturday.

Karl McCartney MP said: “I welcomed the news that Bailgate Post Office was to be modernised and am delighted to be here today to congratulate Simon on his hard work and to formally open the new branch.

He added: “The Post Office is vital to the community around Bailgate and I’m sure the new improved office, and the longer opening hours, will be warmly welcomed by all of my constituents.”

Subpostmaster Simon Clarke added: “I am delighted to have had the opportunity to open the new branch and I am very pleased to be officially launching it today for the community.”

“I’d also like to thank Karl McCartney MP for taking time from his busy schedule to come here today, and also to thank the local community for their continued support and use of the branch.”

The Government has set aside £1.34 billion to improve and modernise the Post Office network, which is now independent of Royal Mail, and ensure there are no branch closures going forward.

A Lincoln design and print company is expanding and employing five new members of staff after securing £30,800 of funding.

By working closely with the University of Lincoln, the support from the Lincoln Growth Fund will allow Visual Print and Design to create new job opportunities for graduates.

In addition, the company recently invested in a £40,000 printer and guillotine that will allow the team to print in house.

The company, which was founded in 2009, is based at The Think Tank in Lincoln city centre and has since grown from a solo venture to a five strong team.

The team will recruit five new employees in the graphic design, production/consumer services and sales and credit control field.

Over the next few years, support from the LGF, personal investment and bank lending will be used to fund Visual Print Online – which is due to launch in May 2014.

Founder and Managing Director Graham Hunstone said: “We want to be able to offer our clients a quick turnaround on all printing orders and having this top of the range print machine in house will enable us to print the same day for clients who need it.

“The Lincoln Growth Fund and bank support means we can invest in the latest technology which will really benefit our clients who need high quality printing and design quickly.

“The Lincoln Growth Fund grant opportunity has greatly assisted our growth plan and will help us achieve our objectives of becoming a leading print and design company.

“This investment we will lead to greater job opportunities for local people but it will also mean we can increase our efficiency, production capabilities, and sales and keep our technology up to date.”

A quarter of the new jobs created by Lincoln’s upcoming Tesco Extra will be filled by local residents who have been long-term unemployed.

A scheme, called the Regeneration Partnership programme, is part of a partnership between the new supermarket on Wragby Road and Jobcentre Plus to reserve 23 of 80 new positions at the store.

The positions are for people who have been out of employment for six months or more.

Participants in the scheme were selected based on their attitude rather than formal qualifications.

Next, the applicants did two weeks of pre-employment training at Lincoln College, covering customer service to teamwork and building skills and confidence.

Everyone who completed the training was guaranteed a job in Tesco.

To celebrate their new roles, a graduation ceremony was held for new recruits at Lincoln College, where they were presented with certificates in CIEH Food Safety in Retail Level 2 and EDI Certificate in Retail Knowledge Level 1.

Employment and Skills Advisor Sean Knight said the college has always worked with Lincoln Jobcentre Plus to get unemployed people back into work.

“We were delighted to be invited by Tesco to develop and run the programme and even more pleased that despite initially only having 20 vacancies, the company decided to take on all 23 of the candidates,” he explained.

“This is one of a number of employment initiatives we’ve worked with the job centre on, having previously trained staff for the likes of Premier Inn and Dunelm Mill.

“It’s very rewarding to see people who were previously unemployed getting back on the career ladder and we would like to congratulate all of the trainees on their achievement.”

Tesco store manager David Waldron said: “Unemployment is real problem in Lincoln and in these tough times it’s great that we are able to create jobs for our local community and help get people back into work.

“Many of the new colleagues joining us through the scheme have been unemployed for some time, and it is really inspiring to see how much gaining a job with us means to them and their families.

“I can’t wait to start working with them to serve customers at our exciting new store.”

The new store will open on May 15, with 450 people working there, including existing staff transferring from the old premises.

Emily Kent has featured in style magazines Elle UK, Get The Gloss and Rock My Wedding with her expert bridal hair and makeup company and she’s expanding with a move to Lincoln.

Emily set up the Wedding Hair Company two years ago from her London-based studio.

Today, the company acts as an agency for over 30 different hair stylists and makeup artists.

Emily will continue to be the driving force behind the London team while setting up base in Lincoln.

In its first few years as a fledgling business, Emily’s work saw her working alongside established media companies and magazines.

You may have also seen her appear as the sole hair consultant on the BBC series Hair as well as steering major decision on the production of the show.

The Wedding Hair Company also wants to establish a salon and consultation service in the city.

“Lincoln is where I grew up and I have returned as my personal life moves away from London I am seeking to get myself set up here too,” she said.

“I plan to build up my hairdressing clientele as well as work on supplying quality hair and make up wedding packages for Lincoln and the surrounding areas extending to Nottingham.

“There is definitely a demand for it, word of mouth has always done a very good job for us and even when I was based in London full time I would work up here a few times a year.

“In proving that weddings are not a one size fits all approach and that the stigma attached to the typical ‘crispy ringlet curls and over done make up’ is not the only option clients have when looking for a professional on the big day.”

Watch Emily Kent’s hair tutorial for Rock My Wedding:

A Lincoln hydraulics specialist has invested in an expansion of its warehousing facility, as it celebrates half a century in business.

Pearson Hydraulics has leased a 5,000 sq ft warehouse on Cardinal Close in Lincoln.

The firm, which offers products and services from simple components to full electro-hydraulic projects, currently employs 40 people across sites in Lincoln and Grantham.

The expansion comes after a substantial investment in equipment and systems, which will enable the company to provide an broader service to customers.

The firm has spent £100,000 on a new hose cutting machine, which is capable of cutting 750 hoses an hour and marking them with customer’s details, and a further £100,000 on stock control management software.

Managing Director Rick Dring said: “We are growing again in our 50th year. Our main Cardinal Close premises, complete with trade counter, were built in 1998. 

“We extended them by 50% two years later and we have been looking for further storage capacity over the past two years.

“Over the last eighteen months we rented warehousing in the centre of Lincoln, but then we discovered that this 5,000 sq ft unit, just yards from our main premises, had become available.

“We have distribution agreements with leading manufacturers, but one of the reasons for our most recent growth has been a decision taken by the Danish company Danfoss to appoint us as one of only two UK-based master distributors.

“We are also being increasingly recognised for our Original Equipment Manufacture kitting, whereby we are able to supply all the hydraulic parts needed to assemble and install the hydraulic content of a complete machine as one package, with one part number.”

Banks Long & Co Trainee Surveyor Jonathan Purkiss, who completed the lease, said: “We are seeing a definite pick-up in demand for industrial premises and this confidence is being underlined by developer interest in creating more speculatively-built units, alongside partly-committed premises.”

A Lincoln school is one of the first in the city to begin cutting its carbon footprint by installing greener lighting.

William Farr School in Welton installed LED lighting across the school, costing £135,000.

Previously, the secondary school has also fitted 50kW of solar panels and an “intelligent boiler control” to ensure the heating systems work efficiently.

It also added special insulation in 200 key areas around the school’s boiler rooms.

The school is now saving 164 tonnes of CO2 a year, and its energy bills are down by over £30,000 a year.

William Farr is still looking at ways to become even greener, such as another 200kW of solar panels and external LED lighting, with special sensors.

These measures could increase CO2 savings by a further 50% and another £20,000 off the energy bills.

Trevor Hughes, business manager at the school said: “We are really proud of all the work that has been done at the school to reduce our impact on the environment.

“The projects don’t just reduce our carbon footprint. They make financial sense too and that means we can invest more of our money in educating our pupils.

“But we will not be resting on our laurels and have exciting plans to enhance the school’s green credentials further.”

The school received advice through Lincolnshire County Council’s sustainability team, which gives schools help to develop cost and carbon footprint saving measures.

All local schools can sign up to the programme, called School’s Collaboration on Resource Efficiency (SCoRE), for free.

Steve Golightly, senior sustainability officer at the county council, said: “William Farr is a shining example of what can be achieved if you are committed to the green agenda.

“The school has been keen to explore every possibility and we have managed to help them achieve a lot of their goals.

“Already the changes made are cutting both the CO2 emissions and the annual energy bills considerably and it’s great to see everyone’s efforts pay off.”

A local green energy company has announced plans to extend its solar farm by another 56,000 panels – enough to power 3,500 homes in West Lindsey.

Freewatt hopes to grow its existing solar farm to 14MW by adding to the array it already has next to its headquarters in Stow.

The project will be constructed on 63 acres of land near Danes Farm and will represent an investment of more than £12 million.

The clean energy generated will amount to a carbon saving of 7,300 tonnes per year and power nearly one out of every ten homes in West Lindsey.

The company aims to enhance the ecology of the five fields pinpointed for the solar farm with the addition of landscaping and wild flower planting.

Sheep will also be used to graze the land after the panels have been installed.

All existing hedgerows will be retained, plus extra ones planted and the height allowed to grow to 2.5 metres to ensure they obscure any views of the solar farm – with panels only reaching 2.2 metres in height.

Freewatt plans to use local companies and workers for the construction of the project, likely to take around 14 weeks.

Plans will be lodged with West Lindsey District Council, and are due to be considered in the summer.

Freewatt has a growing reputation as a regional solar power installer. It has fitted solar power at the Epic Centre at Lincolnshire Showground, Pennells Garden Centre, schools, fire stations, recycling centres, farms and agricultural businesses across the county and beyond.

Freewatt CEO Julian Patrick said: “This is a considerable investment in the infrastructure of the county and will ensure the area continues to make great strides in providing green energy for the future.

“Freewatt is owned by locals, staffed by locals and still based in the area and we are fiercely proud of the work we are doing to provide the county with clean energy and a green economy.

“This project will be another important step towards making the county greener as well as providing valuable work for local companies. Over its life the project will bring millions of pounds of Whitehall payments into the county.”

Businesses in Lincolnshire are investing or planning to invest more in new equipment and staff training, according to a survey.

The latest Lincolnshire Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) found that increased optimism and growing demand led to plans for more investment.

The survey, which is a snapshot of Lincolnshire’s economy every quarter, shows a steady but positive picture for local firms.

Additionally, more companies say they intend to expand their workforce within the next three months.

Again, manufacturing was a particularly strong sector, with 40% of respondents saying they intend to invest more in plant and machinery; and 34% investing in training.

For the next three months, 23% of manufacturing and service sector businesses in the survey said they expect their workforce to increase.

Only a small percentage of 4% said it will decrease, which is an improvement of 19% from last quarter.

The main concern for businesses remains the skills gap. 60% of businesses trying to recruit last quarter found it difficult recruiting skilled manual and technical staff, with 40% struggling to recruit managers.

Other results showed a positive figure for sales and bookings in the UK market, as 37% of businesses reported an overall improvement as did that in the overseas market.

Simon Beardsley, Chief Executive at the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “The last QES results in January 2014 showed a very high level of business optimism for the coming year, which is now being reflected in investment plans this quarter.

“Businesses are investing now in anticipation of forthcoming growth, signs of which we have been observing over the past 12 months.

“Plus, more businesses reported that they believe the company’s profitability will increase over the next 12 months, implying that they are still very optimistic for the coming year.”

James Pinchbeck, Marketing Partner at Streets Chartered Accountants added: “There appears to be renewed business confidence, which is starting to manifest itself in businesses looking to make significant investment in capital projects to meet the challenges of renewed and hopefully sustainable growth.”

The Lincolnshire Quarterly Economic Survey is undertaken by Lincolnshire County Council on behalf of the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce and in partnership with the University of Lincoln.

The Bailgate Area Guild in Lincoln has appointed a new chair for the group.

Linda Wardale owns the Yellowbellys of Bailgate independent shop, which sells local food produce specifically for special diets, such as those with allergies.

She takes over from Mark Hollingworth, who was chairman for five years.

Linda has lived in Lincoln all her life and run Yellowbellys from the Gordon Street unit for over two years.

The guild aims to give a voice to local traders based in the uphill area of Lincoln’s Business Improvement District.

Linda Wardale said: “My vision and aims are to move the Bailgate Area Guild ‘onwards and upwards’ and to bring it into the 21st Century.

“I want to encourage its members to work together as a collective, sharing knowledge, experiences and skills and to make the Bailgate area a great place for everyone to visit.

“I have very large shoes to fill. Mark Hollingworth has done an excellent job. I intend to build upon this great foundation and carry it forwards into the future and to keep the Lincolnshire flag flying.

Lincoln BIG Chief Executive Matt Corrigan added: “The Bailgate Area Guild plays an important role in giving shopkeepers and owners of other businesses based in its area a chance to voice their views about a variety of issues, as well as superb opportunities to network and share ideas for breathing extra vitality into this historic part of the city.”