A Crosskeys man has realised a burning ambition to set up his own business after being made redundant from his previous job.
Gareth Larcombe, a family man living in Pontywaun, used his redundancy money to retrain as a heating engineer and decided to specialise in installing and repairing eco-friendly log burners.
Larcombe Log Burners was born and Gareth is enjoying the challenges of running his own business venture. He tapped into the support services on offer from Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Advisory Services Team and received help to purchase equipment in the form of a Community Business Support Grant.
“I have always been practical and creative when working with my hands but have decided to concentrate my efforts on becoming a heating engineer,” Gareth said.
“I’ve worked hard since being made redundant to gain the relevant qualification in order to set this business up and I’d like to thank the council and the other agencies that have helped along the way – their support has been invaluable.”
Larcombe Log Burners is now HETAS Approved for the installation and servicing of log burners. Wood is a carbon neutral fuel and to maintain the energy efficiency of a wood-burning stove they need to be installed correctly and serviced.
The Community Business Support Fund provides financial support to help eligible new businesses develop and grow. This is a flexible grant scheme delivered through a partnership between Caerphilly County Borough Council and UK Steel Enterprise.
Corus subsidiary UK Steel Enterprise, a Corus subsiduary, provided cash for the scheme and area manager Andy Morris said: “With bank lending hard to come by, this type of fund is vital to get small businesses off the ground and we wish Mr Larcombe well in his venture.”
The fund is designed to help residents of Caerphilly County Borough set up a full-time business for the first time, where they are not able to access funding from any other source.
For more information e-mail the council’s Advisory Services Team or call them on 01443 866222.
You can contact Gareth at Larcombe Log Burners on 07816 531534.
