Event professionals are among thousands of "forgotten" small limited company directors campaigning for more government support to help deal with the Covid-19 crisis.
The #ForgottenLtd campaign aims to raise awareness of the lack of meaningful government support for the small business community across the UK. Its mission statement says: "We call on the government to address this disparity by extending Covid-19 support packages to those of us left behind. We are asking for parity. We are asking not to be forgotten."
Caroline Hill, director of Eventful Solutions, is among those backing the campaign. Hill took on a freelance project management contract with an events management agency at the end of January which would have seen her through to mid-September.
She said: "Of course as events got cancelled or turned into virtual events, we freelancers were let go as the agency quite understandably prioritised their responsibility to their permanent staff.
"So, I am now left with the prospect of furloughing myself and receiving just £585 a month but not being able to work on my company in any practical way - or not furloughing, with no income and trying to build something to take me into the future.
"We absolutely understand this is a difficult challenging unprecedented situation we all find ourselves in - all we are asking for is parity of the support being offered by the Government and consideration of the huge value the freelance/contract community and small companies offer to the future of the economy."
The campaign is asking the UK government to allow furloughed directors to continue to work; extend Business Support Grants to all small businesses and protect incomes by extending SEISS to encompass small limited company directors based on all income for the last three years capped at £2,500.
Shirley Craven, MD of meeting tech consultancy Curvebox, is also involved in the campaign.
She said: "Our main message is that if risk-takers, innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs are not supported now, 5.8 million small businesses and the livelihoods of 7.5 million employees will be affected – this includes many, many event professionals and their businesses.
"By March 31st, all my existing contracts had been cancelled. My external clients are not looking to renew contracts for the foreseeable future. Apart from a few invoices that have been paid for work completed before lockdown, I have had no income at all for the last seven weeks. I still have supplier bills to pay, office expenses etc.
"I’m angry and disappointed small businesses have been excluded from support – and I wanted to make my voice heard so I volunteered to join the campaign group and am now part of the Twitter team, with specific responsibility for raising engagement, increasing followers and amplifying the message of the campaign, along with the general day-to-day running of the admin side of the campaign. Being an integral part of this operation gives me hope that the UK government will see the situation and provide the support small businesses like mine so desperately need."
M&IT editor Paul Harvey is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience. He began his career in the local press, working for various titles across the north. Since joining M&IT in 2013, he has become a trusted and respected voice in the sector, championing event professionals and reporting on all aspects of the events industry for the brand.
