Over £1 million is available to support rural businesses in Westmorland and Furness.
The cash – £250,000 from Westmorland and Furness Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and £766,378 from the Rural England Prosperity Fund programme can help small and micro businesses.
It is delivered by Cumbria Business Growth Hub, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce’s’ business support arm, working with partners including The Farmer Network, Cumbria Tourism, Lake District National Park Authority, NFU and others.
Advice and grants are available for small and micro businesses in rural areas of Westmorland and Furness – the previous Eden and South Lakeland areas – to support:
- Businesses to overcome challenges facing them and respond positively to opportunities
- Farming businesses to respond to phasing out of Basic Payment Scheme and wider challenges and opportunities including diversification
For farming and other land-based businesses this includes:
- Capital grants for purchase of equipment and small scale capital improvements to help grow, diversify, innovate and improve productivity
- Advice vouchers of up to £500, which can be used with an adviser of your choice – no match funding is needed but you can choose to add more.
- Workshops to support growth and resilience and help you navigate the new subsidy regimes, delivered through The Farmer Network
For other businesses it includes:
- Capital grants for purchase of equipment and small scale capital improvements to help grow, diversify, innovate and improve productivity
- Adviser support through the Growth Hub’s team, including access to finance and hospitality specialists and more
Grants are available up to 40%, with more information on the grant scheme is available on the below web page. The minimum grant is £1,000, with an anticipated average of £15,000.
Expression of interest form is available to download on the Cumbria Business Growth Hub website at https://cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk/rural-business-grants-support
For more information, email [email protected]
