Agency appoints new Chairman and reviews a busy year

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.

Peter Hensman of Lake District Estates, already a Board Member of the North West Regional Development Agency, was unanimously elected as Chairman. He succeeds Michael Bell of Bells of Lazonby, who will continue as Deputy Chairman.

“Michael has been an excellent Chairman for the past four years and we are delighted that he can stay on as a member of the Board,” said Bob Clark, CREA’s Executive Director. “Peter Hensman has been an active Board member since 2002 and he has strong networks in enterprise and development as well as practical knowledge of the Cumbrian economy and opportunities through his leadership of Lake District Estates, his family’s tourism and property business that is based in Kendal.”

Stepping into his new role, Peter Hensman said, “There has never been a greater need for the specialist rural knowledge and business skills of the CREA team. We need to work together to ensure that the rural economy is encouraged to play its full part in Cumbria’s recovery from the current tough economic circumstances.”

In their planning for the future the CREA Board reinforced a continued focus on business advice across all sectors, as well as specialist help to food and drink businesses and farmers on a field-to-fork basis. Another area – one that has seen significant success and that will remain as a focus into the future - is in-depth support on environmental matters through CBEN (Cumbria Business Environment Network) and the regional Enworks programme.

CREA helped almost 90 new businesses to start up in the past year, as well as providing advice to over 5000 existing businesses. CREA business training events attracted more than 900 delegates and a large number of farmers attended farm demonstrations and workshops. In all 352 grants worth more than £2.5 million were awarded to Cumbrian businesses, funded from a wide range of sources including NWDA, ERDF and both Eden and South Lakeland District Councils.

For further information, please contact

Sally Seed
Stoneleigh Communications
01539 624732

Bob Clark
Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency
01768 891555