News: Business boost helps to bring home the bacon

A new sandwich shop in Rotherham has made a strong start in business thanks to support and finance through the Rotherham Enterprise Project.

Porkey's at Parkgate has been given one of the highest hygiene ratings in the region - just four weeks after opening.

The sandwich shop is jointly owned by brother in-law duo Keane Fletcher and Stephen Benton who have more than 60 years combined service as a butcher and a dairy farmer respectively.

Although they are delighted with the four star rating, the ambitious entrepreneurs are now working towards achieving a coveted five stars, achieved by only one other sandwich shop in South Yorkshire.

The successful shop has recently been boosted by a grant of £500 from the Rotherham Enterprise Project, after Keane and Stephen asked them for help with the cost of state-of-the-art equipment needed for the business.

The Rotherham Enterprise Project is part financed by The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Stephen said: "We approached the organisation after hearing they helped start up businesses like ours flourish in the first few months of trading by offering advice and financial support.

"We spoke to Julia Millea, a business coach from the project, who helped us secure a grant which has been put towards a hot counter we needed to cut up the meat used in our sandwiches including pork, beef and turkey. It's great to have such a fantastic piece of equipment and I'm sure the added addition has put us that little bit closer to our fifth star – a big thanks to Julia and her team for their support. It's been fantastic."

Julia said: "Keane and Stephen are great guys with a common goal – to provide Rotherham with some of the best sandwiches around. It's great to see them turning an idea into a huge success."

Rotherham Enterprise website

Images: Rotherham Enterprise