Berkshire-based rural businesses are invited to apply for part of a £35 million rural growth grant recently launched by the government.
The government’s Growth Programme- open to small, micro, and large businesses- aims to use the new funding to create new jobs, boost tourism, and unlock growth in rural areas.
And the scheme has already granted £99 million to 546 local businesses across England, creating 3,771 new jobs in rural areas and providing rural start-ups and businesses with the funds to buy state-of-art equipment to grow their business.
Farming Minister George Eustice said “Our dedicated fund for rural businesses has created more than 3,700 jobs and supported a diverse group of businesses, tourism operations and start-ups to unlock their full potential.
“This next round of funding will help more businesses to grow and local areas to prosper – and I would urge any rural enterprise to look into what this scheme could do for them.
“I would also encourage farmers to consider how they might use this funding to branch out and diversify their businesses, making the most of emerging trends and tastes and looking ahead to new opportunities.”
For this branch of the government’s Growth programme, the threshold for minimum grants has been reduced from £35,000 to £20,000, making the eligibility criteria much more inclusive.
Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency, Paul Caldwell said: “The Growth programme provides funding to the 98% of the rural economy in England that isn’t directly engaged in farming.
From heritage railways to creameries and vineyards, small and micro-businesses have benefited from the investment available under the Growth programme in recent years.
We are looking to support applications from businesses with ambitious plans to grow their business and provide wider benefits to their local community.
Mr Caldwell added: “I would urge all interested applicants to submit their expressions of interest as soon as possible to ensure they have plenty of time to complete a full application if their project is assessed to be eligible.”
If you’re a business in a rural area of Berkshire and would like to apply for a grant log on to www.thamesvalleyberkshire.co.uk/european-agricultural-fund-for-rural-development.htm
Once businesses have completed the form, they will then be invited to attend the RPA Rural Development Team led workshop in Reading on Tuesday, November 26 14:30-16:30.
The deadline for all Expressions of Interest is Sunday, February 16 2020.
