27 August 2009
£4.5m funding for Lancashire’s rural businesses
A £4.5 million funding pot is available for rural businesses
seeking to improve productivity and development.
The funding is available for a wide variety of activities from
support for farmers who are looking to diversify away from pure
agriculture, to agricultural businesses wishing to introduce new
technology, processes or products and to new or growing small rural
businesses that have potential to expand and create new jobs.
Funding comes from The Rural Development Programme for England
(RDPE), a £75million programme in the Northwest which aims to
create sustainable rural areas. Of this, £4.5million will be
delivered directly in Lancashire by three Local Action Groups
(LAGs) who are managed by Lancashire Economic Partnership.
Stephen Brown, Head of Economic Regeneration at Lancashire
Economic Partnership, said: “We are delighted to announce that RDPE
in Lancashire is now open for business. The grants available
to rural businesses of all kinds will fuel growth and will help our
extensive rural assets to continue to help drive Lancashire’s
economy.”
Lancashire Economic Partnership is managing this part of RDPE on
behalf of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). The
NWDA manages part of the entire Northwest programme with funding
coming from the European Union and the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). *
Rural businesses will be able to apply for funding from three
Local Action Groups (LAGs), which consist of representatives from
the public, private and voluntary sectors. Lancashire
Economic Partnership has set up 3 Local Action Groups to deliver
the funds, each with an individual Development Officer to help
bring forward projects and support them through the application
process.
David Hunter, Head of Rural Development at the NWDA, said:
“RDPE in the Northwest is the largest rural programme at work in
the region and Local Action Groups will deliver an essential part
from the heart of the communities they serve. This funding is
available to improve productivity and growth in rural Lancashire,
and could involve projects as varied as helping rural businesses to
diversify, providing access to training and skills development or
renewable energy installations. It will provide new opportunities,
contract-managed by the NWDA, to secure a stronger more sustainable
rural economy for Lancashire."
Three separate launch events have been organised based in the
three LAG areas for rural businesses to find out more:
• 14th September - Mitton Hall, Mitton, Near Whalley,
Clitheroe,
• 23rd September – Martin Mere, Burscough
• 30th September - Lancaster House Hotel, Lancaster
The free events will feature an introduction to the funds and
what sort of projects can be supported, as well as the chance to
meet other agencies which can offer support to rural businesses in
your area.
For further information and to book a place on one of these
events, visit the LEP website: www.lancashire-ep.org.uk and
click on Events or contact Nichola Hodson on 01254
300460.
ENDS
NOTE TO EDITORS
Natural England and the Forestry Commission are responsible for
delivering the other part of RDPE in the Northwest, which is worth
around £299million, for improving the environment and countryside,
mainly through agri-environment schemes and environment
grants. The whole RDPE in the Northwest is worth
approximately £374million, to be delivered between 2008 – 2013.
RDPE is jointly funded by the European Union and the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) that seeks to
safeguard and enhance the rural environment, improve the
competitiveness of the agricultural sector and foster sustainable
and thriving rural business and rural economies across England.
The £4.5million is for Lancashire only but is not the only
funding from RDPE which can be accessed by rural businesses in the
county. Other funding is available from RDPE, for example from the
£18million Livestock Programme.
Details for the 3 areas and the contact details are as
follows:
• North Lancashire – Lancaster, Fylde & Wyre: Sharon
McGuinness - 01524 300469. smcguinness@lancashire-ep.org.uk
• Pennine Lancashire – Ribble Valley, Pendle, Burnley,
Rossendale, Hyndburn and Blackburn with Darwen: Rick Patterson -
01524 300496. rpatterson@lancashire-ep.org.uk
• Lancashire West – Preston, Chorley, South Ribble & West
Lancashire: Karen Kerrigan 01524 300481. kkerrigan@lancashire-ep.org.uk
See www.nwda.co.uk/rdpe
for further information.
For more general information please contact:
Kathryn Molloy, Head of Strategy and Communications,
Tel: 01254 300482, kmolloy@lancashire-ep.org.uk