Durham Tees Valley Airport did not make it onto the shortlist in the latest round of the Regional Growth Funding.
It had been hoped that the money could have been used to build a freight operation at the airport.
You can watch the full report from Rachel Bullock below:
"I would personally like to thank the local community for their amazing donations of food, toiletries and clothing. "
Owners John and Irene Hays say there is ''light at the end of the tunnel'', after the pandemic forced them to close 650 UK stores.
There has been resistance to calls to dismantle memorials to the explorer.