• Swindon & Wiltshire Media
• Monday September 21 2026

West bids to become capital of UK film and TV industry

The West of England is launching a £4.5 million production fund aimed at attracting bigger film and television projects and strengthening the region’s position as a screen-industry hub.

Greenlight West, launched by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, will offer grants of between £50,000 and £500,000 to ambitious productions with a credible finance plan and route to market. Funding will be non-recoupable, giving the region a potential advantage over competing locations offering repayable investment.

The scheme is expected to generate £20.7 million in production spending and support more than 230 jobs, including work for freelancers, local suppliers and businesses across the wider screen supply chain.

Projects will need to demonstrate meaningful benefits for the West of England, including local expenditure, employment, skills development and the use of regional crew, studios, facilities, locations and suppliers.

The fund is open to feature films, animation, high-end television, children’s programming, documentaries, unscripted projects and entertainment formats.

Three application routes are planned. The first two are currently open and offer grants of between £100,000 and £500,000.

They cover incoming productions led by companies based outside the region, and productions led by, or delivered through a substantive partnership with, a company permanently based in the West of England.

A third route for stand-alone post-production work, offering grants of between £50,000 and £200,000, is due to open later.

The fund covers Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Applicants must show a credible route to full finance and cannot begin principal photography before a funding decision has been made.

Helen Godwin, mayor of the West of England, said: “With this new incentive, we’re sending a clear message to the sector. We want you to make more magic here.”

She added: “We’re here to help you invest, recruit, and train locally and we look forward to harnessing the power that your film and TV production can bring to the country’s fastest-growing regional economy.”