A young East Yorkshire entrepreneur is boosting his digital content business thanks to a grant received through an innovative partnership.
Rural broadband provider Quickline announced the two-year partnership with the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank (JCYEB) earlier this year as they joined forces to support digital inclusion and youth entrepreneurship across East Yorkshire.
The partnership forms part of Quickline’s wider commitment to Project Gigabit, the UK government programme aimed at enabling hard-to-reach and rural communities to access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband.
It is helping people get online while giving local communities the skills and opportunities they need to find work, grow businesses and stay in touch.
Alex Sparkes, 21, from Hornsea, is a Director at Heuro Studios. He set up the business, based in Hull city centre’s K2 building, with Rand Nessif, 21, from west Hull, and Jack Shanks, 21, from Beverley.
They are computer science graduates of the University of Hull and established the business to make immersive digital experiences, apps and websites. They turn ideas into interactive technology, making digital content more accessible, simple and enjoyable.
Alex was awarded £728.97 from Quickline, which he is using to buy a camera, tablet and website domains to enhance work for their clients.
Alex said: “A big part of what we do is making digital content more accessible, whether that’s turning a board game into a digital learning tool, or helping a costume business reach new audiences.
“Having the right tools to do that matters, and this grant has made sure we’re not held back by equipment when the ideas are there.
“When you start a new business, you need all the help you can get and, for a young company like ours, that support is massive.
“Quickline have been so supportive and this will really help our business offering, as lots of clients need new, high quality images for their websites.”
Designed to help remove digital barriers and enable young people to start, sustain and grow their businesses, the partnership offers digital inclusion grants of up to £1,000 to young entrepreneurs aged 16 to 29 who live in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The initiative is delivered by JCYEB, working alongside partners including East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Yorkshire in Business, C4DI, Hull City Council’s Making Changes for Careers (MC4C) programme and the Smile Foundation.
The grant was also awarded after the Heuro Studios team sought support from the MC4C programme, which saw Rand also awarded a test market grant of £741.37 to further help with the business’ growth.
Heuro Studios primarily works on educational and heritage projects, including bringing historical figures to life using AI in work with the team at Hull Minster.
Charles Cracknell founder and secretary the JCYEB, said: “We welcome our partnership with Quickline, which has enabled us to give even more support to young East Riding entrepreneurs.
“It’s thanks to them that we plan to support at least 25 enterprising young people over the next two years.
“The JCYEB were delighted to award Alex this grant after his MC4C Youth Enterprise Advisor, Becca Pettman, advocated his idea.
“We’re now in our 23rd year supporting young entrepreneurs and, thanks to companies like Quickline, have issued more 1,500 grants to aspiring young entrepreneurs and enterprise projects in the Hull and East Riding area.”
Ash Cane, Social Values Executive at Quickline, said: “We’re delighted to support Alex in growing his business and it means huge amount to us to create these exciting opportunities for young entrepreneurs, opening up new doors.
“It’s helping them to get a foot on the business ladder and hopefully providing that first stepping stone to a long and successful career.
“Access to fast, reliable broadband plays a vital role in creating opportunity and supporting economic growth, particularly in rural and hard to reach communities, and Project Gigabit can deliver lasting social value.”
