A community business will expand its premises after receiving a grant worth thousands of pounds.

Upton-based GPD Contracts Ltd has expanded its operations following the grant from Malvern Hills District Council.

The rendering and external wall insulation contractor, based at Upton Business Park, was awarded a sum close to £4,000 for its expansion project.

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The grant, from the Malvern Hills Rural Fund, was directed towards creating a new office space within its premises and modifying an existing one.

Simon Grove, director at the company, said: "As a small company, we are growing steadily and have been for some time.

"We got to a point where in terms of running the sites and everything that goes with it, we just needed that extra person.

"That is when we looked at the rural funding.

"We would definitely recommend it; it has really helped us.

"We are very pleased to have been involved and to receive that support."

The funding also enabled the company to recruit an additional operations co-ordinator to its team.

Other community businesses can also apply for the funding, with the grant amount offered ranging from £2,500 to £25,000, which can be utilised for the construction of new buildings or renovation projects.

Businesses have until Monday, April 8 to submit interest on the council's website.

To qualify, businesses are expected to match 50 per cent of the total cost of the project.

The initiative is fuelled by the Government's Rural England Prosperity Fund and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Cllr Beverley Nielsen, portfolio holder for tourism and economic development at the council, said: "It is great to see an example of how the Malvern Hills Rural Grant has helped a micro-business improve and provide the opportunity to create new jobs within the district.

"We hope this encourages other businesses to apply for funding to make their projects ideas a reality."