Big boost for 19-year-old Chichester jeweller

Chichester’s 19-year-old Lucas Mitchell has just been awarded a £4,000 start-up loan to grow his jewellery business.

His collection consists of bracelets and rings with coloured silk set into the silver or gold.

And believe it or not, he makes each piece in his makeshift workshop, his bedroom.

At a recent networking event, Sarah Matthews of SFM Consulting, was explaining how she gets a buzz by providing mentoring for young entrepreneurs with the Mentor-net programme.

It helps to get government funding for 18 to 30-year-olds starting up a business.

A business adviser at the event told Sarah about a perfect client for a start-up loan – someone she wanted to help but who didn’t fit the current banking criteria for a loan because he was too young and had no credit or trading history.

Together the pair set the wheels set in motion and shortly Lucas was working with Sarah to refine his business plan and apply for a government loan.

At the end of last week Mentor-net contacted Lucas to congratulate him on a successful loan application.

“The loan is going to enable me to push the business forward into its next phase of growth, and begin to show others what determined, young people really can do,” said Lucas.

He already sells his collection in Chichester’s jewellery shop Etcetera, and is in talks with two more jewellery firms in Uckfield and Lymington.

For more information about Lucas and his jewellery, visit the website www.lucasalexanderjewellery.com