RYEDALE is seeing a boost to business and jobs despite the challenges of Covid-19.

Malton Enterprise Park (MEP) has secured 12 new deals over the last three months, creating 180 jobs, while Thornton Road Business Park in Pickering, has secured £800,000 of investment under the government’s Getting Building Fund.

New occupiers at the Malton park include Direct Imaging and Parnabys, while existing tenants Bella di Notte, Aquapoint and Dales The Chef’s Choice are expanding into bespoke new business units on the park.

Other new occupiers include Toolstation, Snug Campers, J S Graphixx, Neu-Era, The Wooden House, Dogtooth and Timeless Precision Engineering.

In addition, a number of other units on the 180,000sq ft site have been sold to private investors.

Sean Harrison, managing director of Harrison Developments, which owns the site, said: “These new deals are a tremendous vindication of the substantial investment we have made in our park.

“More than 180 new and sustainable jobs have been created on site, which makes us very proud.

“The wide variety of successful businesses here is also an indication of the strength of the economy in Ryedale.”

Mr Harrison added: “We are especially pleased that successful Yorkshire businesses such Bella di Notte and Dales The Chef’s Choice are expanding into larger premises on our park because they like the location and the ambience so

much. We have been delighted to accommodate their needs.”

Susan Johnson, the owner of Bella di Notte, said: “We moved here from Helmsley two years ago and haven’t looked back.

“We love being at Malton Enterprise Park because all the other business owners are friendly and helpful.”

Richard Dale, the owner of Dales The Chef’s Choice, added: “We bought our first unit here two years and are now purchasing another unit on this site, as we have outgrown our existing premises.

“We were hugely affected by Covid-19 and lost 80 per cent our wholesale business overnight, so we flipped the business and created an online ordering service for home deliveries, acting as a supermarket providing local produce you can’t get in your everyday shop.

“We like being on this excellent park for many reasons.

“It is clean and well-maintained and the management team are always on hand for any extra work that needs doing to help make our business run more smoothly.”

Meanwhile, the Thornton Road Business Park in Pickering, which is currently home to a range of businesses is to benefit from £800,000 of investment under the government’s Getting Building

Fund.

The £900 million fund is part of the Conservative’s New Deal for Britain, an economic strategy to rebuild Britain after coronavirus.

Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, said: “I have long been a huge advocate of narrowing the gap between the North and the South and even more so now as we kick-start the economy and begin to recover from coronavirus.

“I am delighted that here in Thirsk and Malton we will benefit directly from this government money helping to build the infrastructure our community needs and creating jobs over the months and years ahead.”

He added: “The Thornton Road Business Park project will enable businesses to grow, accommodate new jobs, contribute to diversifying the local economy and strengthen its resilience and without this grant the development could not go ahead.”