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More than £3 million spent and clock ticking on last £1 million |
Distinctly Cumbrian, a programme delivered by Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency, has been offering grants to rural food, drink and craft producers since July 2002 and, with over £3 million committed and its final deadline approaching, the organisation is keen to commit its last £1 million of funding to local businesses in plenty of time.
“We were set up to support, enhance and develop rural businesses,” explains Programme Manager, Pauline Herbert. “So far, we have helped over 200 producers with everything from £250 for a piece of equipment through to a contribution of almost £70 000 towards new production facilities. In addition to grants for manufacturing equipment, we have also helped on distribution and transport, on procurement and more than 80 businesses across Cumbria have had help and support in developing their websites.”
“When you think about it, all this investment is also matched by the businesses themselves and a large proportion is spent with Cumbrian suppliers so the knock on effects of our total of more than £4 million will be more like £10 or £20 million in the long run.”
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Pauline Herbert: Grants are available for rural businesses
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But the clock is ticking and the team at Distinctly Cumbrian are keen to let businesses know that just £1 million of grant funding is left and available for projects that meet the distinctively Cumbrian criteria.
“We need to have all our funding committed to suitable businesses in the next year or so if it is going to be spent and claimed before the end of our project in March 2008,” says Pauline. “The process for small grants is very straightforward and anyone applying is given advice and support by one of our Development Officers. Even for larger grants of more than £10 000, the process is kept as simple as possible and help is available from first enquiry through to Board consideration.”
The clock may be ticking but there is still time to find out more about the grants available. Anyone with a food, drink or craft business and a project in mind should contact Distinctly Cumbrian as soon as possible on 01768 891555 for further information and application details.
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