Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:09

The South Tyneside business development agency, South Tyneside Means Business, has awarded clothing manufacturer, JK Clothing a £2,500 business development grant. JK Clothing - based in Jarrow - supplies badged uniforms for 16 schools in the South Tyneside area and school uniforms for hundreds of local families whose children attend primary and secondary schools in the region.Founder and director of JK Clothing, John Knowles commented: "We've invested the grant in a new embroidery machine that will help us to make more uniforms in-house."We're thrilled about this as it allows us to diversify the business and it's also a huge benefit for our customers, who will be able to get what they want faster. "We feel that the grant is a reflection of the progress we've made and we're now in a position where we'd like to move the business further forward," he added.The arrival of the new embroidery machine has also meant that the firm have taken on five more members of staff.Councillor Eddie McAtominey said: "Community is at the heart of South Tyneside Means Business and we're delighted to see how our work with businesses like JK Clothing can help to make a difference."