Sleep Lane Smiles dental practice on Sleep Lane in Whitchurch, has been owned by husband and wife team Richard and Alyson Lampard for the last 15 years and offers a range of dental treatments to private patients.
It has recently undergone a 17-week extension programme which has seen the addition of a new waiting area, office and staff area. The practice’s existing space has also been redesigned to allow the installation of an extra surgery, a new laboratory and decontamination room.
Richard and Alyson have also increased their workforce to 14 and now offer extended opening hours on three days a week.
To secure the funding they needed to finance the building work, the couple approached long term banking partner Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking. The finance was provided under the Funding for Lending Scheme, through which businesses can benefit from a one per cent interest rate discount on business loans.
Alyson Lampard said: “We had begun to outgrow our old space and so it made sense to extend our property, while at the same time refurbishing out existing area to make the most out of the space. Feedback from patients has been excellent so far.
“We have also removed some hedges from the front of the property which means we are now much more visible to people passing on the busy A37. We are already seeing the benefits of this with more people calling in to enquire about our services.
“We were originally attracted to Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking 10 years ago by the dedicated healthcare banking team, and over that time the bank has shown a real understanding of our business and the dental sector as a whole. Its support has been vital in allowing us to complete this latest project.”
Tim Kibby, healthcare relationship manager at Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking, said: “Over the years, Richard and Alyson have built up a reputation for offering quality dental care and the new practice really does justice to the great service they provide.
“When we were presented with the proposal for the extension we could immediately see the benefits it would bring to the business.
“The Funding for Lending Scheme meant that Sleep Lane Smiles dental practice was able to take advantage of an interest rate reduction. Under this scheme, we have committed £3.3 billion to SME customers since September 2012.”