Advantage West Midlands has today announced a series of new calls for bids designed to provide millions of pounds of investment for rural businesses across the region.
Delivered as part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) 2007–2013, this initiative broadens the range of activities that can be funded through the Agency’s Strategic Investment Grant (SIG) Scheme which is available to help improve the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sector, and improve the quality of life and economy of rural areas.
Launched in August 2008, just under £1 million of funding has been awarded to businesses in the region through Strategic Investment Grants. Having listened to businesses across the region, Advantage West Midlands is to address their needs by re launching and extending the grants to covering eight areas.
Grants of £62,500 and above can be awarded to large scale and collaborative projects looking at anything from fruit and vegetable packing and processing and improving the economic value of forests to farm diversification, the processing of organic farm wastes and supply chain facilities for livestock.
Paul John, Director of European Programmes at Advantage West Midlands said: “The additions to the Strategic Investment Grant provide a huge boost and opportunity for businesses in the region.
“I am particularly pleased that we have been able to develop and make available a whole new range of activities that increase the level and type of support we can offer.
“The grants available through the RDPE Programme really can make a difference and I would encourage any rural business interested in receiving this help to contact their local Rural Hub, the European Programme Management team at Advantage West Midlands or go to our website.”
One business to have benefitted from a Strategic Investment Grant is Herefordshire based Certainly Wood Ltd which was awarded £380,000 of grant to provide storage and processing facilities, enabling it to double its capacity of kiln drying, and meet the significant demand for kiln dried wood.
The company is also looking to develop biomass production from within the farming business to provide fuel for the kiln. This will increase the sustainability of the operation, and improve overall efficiencies within the yard.
Nic Snell, Marketing Director at Certainly Wood, said: "This grant has had a huge impact on our business, enabling us to significantly develop at a faster rate. We are delighted with the new kilns and to be running them on our wood waste is fantastic and is helping us to meet the ever-increasing demand for high quality firewood."
A total of £55 million is available to the West Midlands region through the RDPE Programme to make agriculture and forestry more competitive and sustainable, and to enhance opportunities for rural businesses, social enterprises and community projects.
For more information on the SIG bidding opportunities click here.