Melton Mowbray Rotary Club launch community chest project to help new businesses get off the ground

Melton Mowbray Rotary Club has formed a new satellite group dedicated to supporting and promoting new businesses in the Melton area. The group is now looking to create a community chest of funds for redistribution to new business start-ups in the borough.

It also aims to give support, mentoring and guidance for people starting out in enterprise and self-employment.

The idea of its new project is that small start-up businesses will be able to bid for a small bursary or loan from the chest (eg £500 to £1,000), with those businesses that go on do well paying the money back.

The funding pot will be built up by the Rotary club putting on three or four big entertainment events in the Melton area a year.

Its first event is Soul Town - a night of live Motown and soul - which will be held in the Market Tavern at the Melton Cattle Market site on Scalford Road next Friday, 7pm until late.

New soul sensation Ika will open the event with a range of songs including well-known soul and Motown covers as well as his own original new material. He will be followed by Jahson, one of the ‘original Drifters’ who performed with Jonny Moore. The internationally respected performer will share a soulful repertoire including a Lionel Richie and The Commodores tribute.

The headline act are ‘The Kommitments’ . The ten-piece outfit and former Glastonbudget Festival headline act will be performing soul music at its very best as well as classics including ‘Mustang Sally’.

Tickets are £10 and are available from F1 Computers in the Mall shopping centre, Nottingham Street, Gracie’s Sandwich Bar in Market Place, Tescos in Thorpe Road and Melton Toys in King Street. You can also call (01664) 565616 or 07572 413 737.

Club spokesman Mark Frisby said: “Soul Town is the first of many events we aim to stage to raise funds for our new business project. We want to provide a calendar of alternative entertainment in Melton during the year, while building a business support network. With Rotary you’re assured a quality night of entertainment and our opening event will be excellent.”