£1m to help rural ventures

May 7 2008 by Sam Wood, The Journal

NORTH EAST farmers and rural businesses could be in line for extra money to help them grow.

More than £1m is available from the recently launched Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).

The cash – part of this year’s RDPE programme in North East England – will help micro enterprises in rural parts of the region with elements such as start-up revenue and capital investment, technical and marketing support, product development, branding and design.

The funding is one element of the RDPE’s investment in the region, which is managed by development agency One NorthEast.

Rural business owner and One NorthEast board member Ian Brown said: “Small businesses are a huge part of the rural economy, so this is a really important area of investment for the new RDPE programme.

“It will help land-based businesses to develop alternative sources of income, and wider rural enterprises to create new jobs and to make their operations more sustainable. It will also help promote entrepreneurship, which is absolutely key to increasing the range of businesses across different sectors in rural areas. We very much look forward to seeing the first investments being made.”

The RDPE micro enterprise funding is available through the North East England Investment Centre, which works to help emerging and established businesses develop and grow by investing public funds in companies needing external advice and support.

RDPE is jointly funded by Defra and the European Union, with the aim of delivering targeted support to land-based businesses and rural communities. It is managed in the region by One NorthEast, Natural England and the Forestry Commission.

Rural Affairs Minister Jonathan Shaw said: “I am delighted that One NorthEast has launched its fund to invest in making the North East an even better place for rural people to live and work in, and where rural businesses can prosper and grow.

“This is part of a record investment of £3.9bn by the Government in rural development in England between now and 2013. It will help our farming, food and forestry industries to thrive and become more competitive, and enhance opportunity for rural businesses and communities.” The RDPE investment being managed by One NorthEast combines larger projects to help many businesses in different sectors of the rural economy – including bioenergy and land-based skills, and projects adding value to agricultural and forestry products – with smaller investments to help individual businesses start, grow or diversify.

Rural community partnerships are shaping how at least 25% of the funding is invested themselves, using the Leader approach. For details, visit www.rdpenortheast.co.uk or contact Business Link on 0845 600-9006.