NewsBusiness Training and Support from Business Information Point19 March 2013 Making it Local has part funded a project to help support businesses in the area. Training and support is offered by Business Information Point. To find out how your business can benefit, read more
Rural Growth Grants05 February 2013 Micro-businesses in rural Devon and Somerset can now apply for capital grants over £10,000 through the £1m Defra/RDPE Rural Enterprise Grant Programme. The main aim of the programme is to increase employment opportunities and growth. If you are interested in a grant for a specific project, please see the link:- http://www.heartofswlep.co.uk/rural-growth-grants
Newsletter - February 201213 February 2012 Read our first newsletter of 2012 and please complete our survey
BBC Countryfile in the Blackdown Hills!27 January 2012
Date: Sunday 5th February 2012
RDPE Funding and Support27 January 2012 If you are a farmer, grower, forester, land owner, rural business or part of a rural community you could potentially benefit from funding provided through the Rural Development Programme for England. http://rdpenetwork.defra.gov.uk/funding-sources
Funding Fair Success30 November 2011 http://www.sitesplus.co.uk/user_docs/500/File/Press%20release%20on%20Funding%20Fair.pdf
Gates Close for Funding Applications01 November 2011 New applications to local grant provider “Making it Local”, based in the Blackdown Hills and East Devon Areas of Outstanding Beauty (AONB) are on hold due to budget cuts by Defra.
Funding for village enterprises31 August 2011 Big Lottery Fund – new Village SOS programme to offer grants worth between £10,000 and £30,000 for rural projects The Big Lottery Fund (BLF) is today inviting rural organisations across the UK to bid for a share of £5m of funding. The initiative is part of the BLF’s Village SOS programme, which supports ventures that revive village life. Organisations can apply for grants worth between £10,000 and £30,000 for projects that, according to a BLF statement, will support "the brightest ideas for new community enterprises that will make a lasting difference in rural communities with a population of less than 3,000". The announcement is timed to coincide with the start of a new BBC One series tonight called Village SOS, which shows how six UK villages have used grants of £400,000, awarded previously from the programme by the BLF, to set up new community-run businesses. Peter Wanless, chief executive of the Big Lottery Fund, said: "Every year, hundreds of local amenities such as shops and pubs close down in rural areas. The effects of this, along with limited transport options, rural isolation and lack of employment opportunities for young people, can all strike at the heart of village life. Through this campaign, the BLF will help people to tackle all this by bringing together support, information and expert advice on how to develop community enterprises." The BLF is also staging a series of events across the UK providing advice on setting up community businesses. The events will be run in partnership by the Plunkett Foundation, ACRE, Localityand Co-operatives UK. For more details, visit villagesos.org.uk.
May 2011 Newsletter19 May 2011 Download the May 2011 newsletter for more information on our latest projects.
Press release on suspension of approvals22 March 2011 The effect of last year's government spending review has reached Making it Local, a local funding programme for small businesses and community groups, which has had to be suspended temporarily to new applicants. Making it Local is a £2.4 million fund which covers the Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and some surrounding towns and parishes. It is part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) which is currently managed by Regional Development Agencies but will transfer to Defra in July 2011. On Monday 7th March the Making it Local team received news that the South West RDA has decided to suspend funding programmes like Making it Local while Defra review and reallocate spending. Making it Local chairman, Councillor Paul Diviani said, "We cannot approve any new aplications at present, but we will still accept and advise on applications so that they can move forward quickly when the money is released in a few months' time. The Making it Local team are also working hard to help projects find alternative funding, so we would encourage people to continue to contact us." Making it Local, which is hosted by Devon County Council, has already committed £1.2million to the rural economy of the two AONBs. Successful applicant David Willis said "We were able to make our village hall at Donyatt much more energy efficient, saving money and reducing our carbon footprint. Making it Local is a perfect example of the Big Society in action - communities finding solutions to their own needs. We hope that other communities can benefit from it in the future, as we have in Donyatt."
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