"The Voice" was established with a £62,000 loan from Barclays Bank, at a time when Afro-Caribbean businesses found it particularly hard to get backing from banks. At the time Barclays wished to show support for Afro-Caribbean causes, to counteract the adverse publicity attracted by their investments in South Africa. The bank had been boycotted by the anti-apartheid movement. The Loan Guarantee Scheme, set up by the Conservative government to help small businesses, was also a help. The loan was in fact paid off within five years.