AYRSHIRE businessman Billy Bowie, majority shareholder and director of Kilmarnock Football Club, has secured a seven-figure funding package from banking giant HSBC to fuel growth of his Park Hotel and Special Projects business ventures.

Mr Bowie is creating 20 jobs at the four-star Park Hotel at Kilmarnock’s Rugby Park, with the modernisation of facilities, the opening of an outdoor bar and restaurant, and the development of two function suites.

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The Billy Bowie Special Projects business is using an asset-finance facility to buy six specialised vacuum tankers from Sweden and Denmark, creating 12 jobs by the end of 2019. These vehicles are used to remove dry materials, such as fine dust and hazard sludges, and transport them to treatment plants.

HSBC said the new vehicles would meet rising demand for this service from the construction and petrochemical industries and from utilities.

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Billy Bowie Special Projects provides vehicles specialising in waste management, drainage and sewer cleaning. It offers vehicles for sale and hire and its customers include government departments, local authorities, utility companies, and water authorities.

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Mr Bowie said: “Both the hotel and our special projects businesses have been growing in response to increasing demand, and I’m looking forward to creating new jobs for the local community. HSBC UK bought into our growth plans and the bank’s support and advice has been instrumental.”

Grant Bett, relationship director at HSBC UK said: “Billy is a highly regarded and successful businessman and so we were delighted to support his plans for expansion.”