How PBC Backed Charlie Bigham When Banks Said No

Marketing Apprentice
Nov 19, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Nov 20, 2025

How a £5,000 PBC Loan Helped Created a Million pound Business

In 1995, before his meals appeared on shelves in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Booths and other major supermarkets, Charlie Bigham was simply a young man with a notebook full of ideas, a campervan and a desire to build something of his own. He left his corporate job and travelled through Europe, the Middle East and India, where he spent hours watching food being prepared by street vendors.

He was struck by how simple it was - real ingredients, cooked fresh, full of flavour and ready in minutes. For Charlie, this was more than inspiration. It was a vision. He came home convinced that Britain deserved better ready-meals that were high quality, full of care and made properly.

But he faced a barrier familiar to many entrepreneurs: he had an idea, but not the funding to bring it to life. Ten banks refused him. No one was willing to take a chance on an unproven founder with an unconventional idea. Portobello Business Centre made a different judgement. Where others saw risk, PBC saw potential.

With £10,000 of his own savings and a £5,000 loan from PBC, Charlie set up his first kitchen in Acton. He cooked late into the night refining recipes, worked in a local delicatessen to understand customer behaviour and approached retailers with determination. It wasn’t glamorous - it was perseverance. Slowly, the right people said yes. Selfridges took his meals. Harvey Nichols followed. And then came the breakthrough: Waitrose agreed to stock his dishes in 40 stores.

From One Small Kitchen to National Success

Today, Bigham’s is a staple in British supermarkets and a marker of quality in the ready-meal industry. What began in a borrowed kitchen in Acton has grown into a nationally recognised brand:

✔ Stocked across major retailers.

✔ More than 500 people employed.

✔ Over 35 recipes loved by customers.

✔£144.3 million annual revenue in 2024.

But the impact doesn’t end with sales. Charlie’s success strengthens local economies, supports farmers and producers and brings long-term stability to West London and beyond. It shows what can happen when people with ideas are given a fair chance even when traditional finance shuts the door.

In 2017, the business opened The Quarry, an eco-designed kitchen in Somerset, further expanding employment and bringing sustainable food production into the heart of the community. Commitment to people and planet continued: Bigham’s achieved B Corp certification in 2020 and was awarded Food Brand of the Year in 2021. By 2024, Charlie appeared in his first national TV ads, telling the story of the brand and the values behind it to millions of viewers. Every milestone traces back to that early moment when PBC provided what no bank would: belief.

Why This Story Matters And Why Support for PBC Matters

Charlie’s journey shows the true value of early-stage support. When organisations like PBC receive funding, we reinvest it directly into people the innovators, job creators and local change-makers who keep our economy alive. Charlie is proof of what happens when someone with potential is given a fair chance. His company now generates millions for the economy, employs hundreds and sets new standards in the food industry, all beginning with a modest £5,000 loan from a social enterprise designed to help people start.

Government funding allows PBC to fill the gap that high street banks leave behind. We back founders based on ambition and community impact, not credit scores. When people receive support at the right moment, the results are clear: thriving businesses, new jobs, stronger high streets and long-term economic growth.

Funding organisations like PBC isn’t a cost. It’s an investment in people, in places and in the future of local economies. Charlie is just one example. For more than 30 years, PBC has supported thousands of entrepreneurs across London, many of whom have gone on to employ others and build sustainable businesses. This is the power of early belief. That £5,000 loan wasn’t just financial help it was someone saying, “We believe in you.” Every successful business has a moment where someone needs a yes. For Charlie, PBC was that yes.