Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency News Releases

On Friday 4th March Lord Henley, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Government Spokesperson for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Government Spokesperson for Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, officially opened the new Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) Business Centre at Kendal.

A Business 2 Business Event in Kendal has been hailed a great success after over 120 local business people attended. The marketing and networking event offered a full programme of workshops with numerous local businesses people on hand to offer help and advice.

Business Advisers working in Eden and South Lakes have successfully achieved accreditation from SFEDI, the nationally-recognised standard for business support professionals.

Two new Auditors have joined the Cumbria Business Environment Network (CBEN) Team at Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA).

This month an enterprising new Cumbrian business started supplying Carlisle United Football Club with medical cover for all their home fixtures.

Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency has scooped a national environmental award at this year’s NFEA National Enterprise Network Awards, fighting off stiff competition from agencies across the country.

Cumbria’s best environmentally-savvy businesses were honoured at the 2010 Cumbria Business Environment Network (CBEN) Awards, held at the Castle Green Hotel, Kendal.

Final call for Return to Work scheme

The successful Return to Work scheme, delivered by Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) in Eden and South Lakes, has funding to the end of June 2010 and the team at CREA is keen to contact potential clients to make the most of the support that is available.

Business support that’s vital for vitality

Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) is one of the supporters of the new drop-in business advice centre in Devonshire Arcade and Paul Warren of CREA will be one of the advisers helping potential Penrith entrepreneurs to explore their options.

Beacon Business Centre opens its doors in Unit 3 Devonshire Arcade in Penrith on Thursday 14 January.

Beacon Business Centre opens its doors in Unit 3 Devonshire Arcade in Penrith on Thursday 14 January. CREA, Eden District Council, Business Link, jobcentreplus and Cumbria County Council have pooled our resources to promote the Vitality of Penrith.

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) has selected just one local agency to deliver its new £4.9 million business mentoring programme in Cumbria. Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA), with offices in Penrith and Kendal, will be responsible for coordinating the three-year programme which aims to help leaders and senior managers of small to medium sized businesses to develop their skills at no cost.

The final evaluation of a programme to deliver £3 million of grants to Cumbrian producers says Distinctly Cumbrian has been a success and has left a legacy for businesses to build on in future.

Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) and its partners are supporting local people – both employers and potential employees – to tackle long-term unemployment and get people back into work.The Return to Work programme has been active across Cumbria since February 2008, funded by Cumbria County Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) and Business Link are continuing to work together to create new opportunities for local food and drink businesses. One approach resulted in representatives of eight companies meeting one of the UK’s leading sales agents at a meeting in Penrith on Thursday (26 March).

A business service delivered by Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) that has helped almost 2000 small businesses since 2002 has won a national planning award. Delegates from Cumbria were in London to accept the Award on Thursday (5 February).

CREA set to celebrate planning service success - February 2009

A business service delivered by Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) since 2002 has been shortlisted for a national planning award and delegates from Cumbria will be attending a ceremony in London on Thursday (5 February).

The Royal Town Planning Institute makes its Awards each year and the Cumbria Rural Planning Facilitation Service (RPFS) was shortlisted for the RTPI Rural Areas and the Natural Environment Award back in June 2008.

A selection of eight extra special Cumbrian Christmas puddings are on their way to London and the BBC studio of the TOG meister himself, Terry Wogan, courtesy of CREA’s Food Technology Centre team.

The team based at the Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) Food Technology Centre has been working with Cumbria County Council (CCC) to help the county’s smaller food and drink producers get involved in public procurement. They held a joint seminar held at CREA’s conference centre on Wednesday (26 November), which attracted people from about 20 local businesses.

Famous dinner lady shares skills and ideas at Food Technology Centre - November 2008

Six school cooks from across the North West gathered at the Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) Food Technology Centre (FTC) earlier this week to take part in one of Jeanette Orrey’s training courses for school catering staff.

Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) held a review and full Board meeting on 21 October 2008 and the 12 Directors at the meeting agreed a forward strategy and financial plan for the Agency.

If you have ever thought of setting up in business but need ideas on where to start, Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency and Barclays Bank are running an Ideas Workshop at CREA’s Business Centre at Redhills on Thursday 16 October (10am-1pm) that could be just the inspiration that you need.

A business service delivered by Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency since 2001 has won the NW Best Rural Planning Project Award from the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) as well as being shortlisted for a national category.

Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) and its Distinctly Cumbrian programme hosted an influential gathering at Redhills near Penrith on Tuesday 2 September. An invited group of key people reviewed the impact of recent investments in the Cumbrian food and drink sector and discussed approaches to the future.

Even those who have been self employed before have found the five day course covering everything from marketing to cash flow a useful exercise.

Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency is encouraging rural businesses with plans for expansion to make the most of an advice service now so that they are well placed to go for any funding that becomes available in the coming months.

A business service delivered by Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency since 2002 has been shortlisted for a national planning award.

The Royal Town Planning Institute makes its Awards each year and the Cumbria Rural Planning Facilitation Service (RPFS) has been shortlisted for the RTPI Rural Areas and the Natural Environment Award for 2008.

When Samantha Vyner-Brooks enrolled for a Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency Business Start-Up course in July 2000, she was single and planning to set up a floristry business. Just a year or so later she had married Crispin, whom she met on the course, and Samantha has now established a new business creating order out of chaos for busy people.

Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will visit Redhills today (3.00 pm) to open the new Food Technology Centre. The Centre represents a £1.5 million investment by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and the European Rural Development Fund through Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) which will provide modern food and drink production facilities for a thriving Cumbrian business sector.

Click for a photo gallery of the day below

One of the county’s most experienced business advisors has just retired from active service, taking his leave of colleagues at Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency.