A CITY Centre businessman who was initially rejected Scottish Government funding set up in the wake of the Sauchiehall Street fires is celebrating after he was granted money on appeal.

Dragon-i owner Raymond Man was allocated £10,000 of the £5 million fund.

We previously reported that the Scottish Government said Glasgow City Council would be given the extra funding to distribute to businesses inside the cordon and those in the wider Sauchiehall Street area who could demonstrate hardship as a result of the fires.

Those firms within the Glasgow School of Art and Victoria's cordons will receive £20,000 of direct financial support, with other businesses in the area impacted eligible for £10,000.

Raymond explained his Hope Street business lost custom as soon as the first fire cordon was put up back in March.

He said: "Victoria’s Nightclub fire pretty much had an instant effect on the business because the Pavilion closed. After that wee were inundated with cancellations because people were going to the Pavilion."

He added: "I always feel if you make a decision in business and you make the wrong decision you live and die by that but unfortunately these two fires had nothing to do with business decisions."

Raymond had to reduce the hours he could offer his part-time staff and as a result several left the business with no guarantee of work.

He applied to the hardship fund citing that the Hope Street cordon and loss of staff as the reasons for funding.

Initially he was rejected because he was deemed to be outside the allocated area.

But he was able to show just how close his businesses was to the cordon which stopped the flow of traffic and footfall up Hope Street.

Raymond said: "The road closures was the biggest problem as people couldn’t get up to us. Psychologically as soon as anyone hits a stumbling block they go, 'you know I am not bother going up that way, I am going to go somewhere else'."

He added: "The money has come into our account and we have been able to pay off some of the debt that has accumulated over the period.

"Some people were out of their houses and I wasn’t in that position. But I could see that when you stop the water supply to something, it can dry out the area which was suffering during this period."

Dragon-I was one of 25 businesses off Sauchiehall Street to receive support from the fund. Several Savoy Centre traders were also given the funding outwith that 25.

So far, 229 applications have been made with 184 granted.

Around 53 applications have been processed for a £20,000 grant while 79 grants of £10,000 were allocated.

The total paid out to date is £1,850,000.

Raymond, who opened the business 17 years ago, said: "I just came back into the trade to rebuild Dragon-I and we had massive plans to grow.

"We had all the right things going forward and we were doing all the work to project massive growth for this period.

"But it ground to halt and nothing we could do could stimulate anything."