The North Wessex Downs Local Action Group has secured £2.5 million to give away as LEADER grants to support the local rural economy. The fund is now open for applications.

Please read the details on this page to see if LEADER money could help your project idea.

For the latest news and updates, please visit the blog at www.northwessexleader.org.uk

Download the LEADER Information Booklet or scroll down for more information.
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Who can apply?
Farmers, foresters and small rural businesses based within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Community groups and organisations, social enterprises and charities and individuals in the North Wessex Downs AONB area can also apply.
For a more detailed map of the area please use the link below.
http://www.seeda.co.uk/rdpe/Leader/docs/Lo_Res/North_Wessex_lo.pdf

What can the funding be used for?
Projects must contribute to delivering at least one of the themes in the Local Development Strategy as outlined below.

1. Creating opportunities to enjoy the North Wessex Downs.
We wish to develop and deliver a vision of the North Wessex Downs as an area for green tourism, with easily accessible information about its wildlife, culture and history, and with many opportunities to explore, walk, cycle and ride. We also wish to build on the existing culture of volunteering and education in the area.

2. Supporting community development and business transformation
The North Wessex Downs contains some areas of real economic and social deprivation, especially in terms of access to services and opportunities. We wish to generate support in these areas. Tourism will provide an opportunity for economic development, but we wish to support a wider range of activities. We also wish to support activities that enable the farming and forestry sector to connect into community and economic development.

3. Promoting local food
Food production is key to maintaining the landscape of the North Wessex Downs. We wish to ensure that there is more opportunity for those living in and more importantly, the 2 million people living around the North Wessex Downs to buy local food. To this end, we want to support the production, processing, and consumption of local food in the North Wessex Downs.

4. Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
We strongly believe that the North Wessex Downs has a role to play in becoming a place which uses energy carefully, produces renewable energy, and prepares for the changing climate. We will be particularly encouraging activities that lead to the management of woodlands in the North Wessex Downs to produce wood for woodfuel, and to encourage the uptake of the technology for the wood to be used locally to provide heating and electricity.

Projects must also address one or more of the regional measures below.

Axis 1 Helping to make agriculture and forestry more competitive and sustainable
121 Modernisation of agricultural holdings
122 Improving the economic value of forests
123 Adding value to agricultural and forestry products
124 Cooperation for development of new products, processes and technologies

Axis 3 Enhancing opportunities in rural areas
311 Diversification into non-agricultural activities
312 Support for the creation and development of micro-enterprises
313 Encouragement of tourism activities
321 Basic services for the economy and rural population
322 Village renewal and development
323 Conservation and upgrading of the rural heritage
331 Training and information for micro-businesses

What funding is available?
Funding is available up to a maximum of £50,000 per project. Match funding is needed for most projects and rates vary depending on the project’s aims and objectives.

How do we apply?
Please complete an Expression of Interest Form. A member of the Programme Management Team will then contact you and work through the full application with you if you are eligible and if necessary. For projects seeking under £20,000 funding, the Local Action Group will decide quickly as the projects are submitted. For those projects seeking greater funding, the applications will be assessed at Local Action Group meetings throughout the term of the Programme.

More Information
For further information please download the LEADER Information Booklet and the frequently asked questions.

If you are in the farming sector use the Expression of Interest Form for Farmers and if you are a rural business or organisation use the Expression of Interest Form for non-farmers.

If you would like further information or would like to submit an expression of interest form please contact the office on 01488 685440 or email info@northwessexdowns.org.uk.

The North Wessex Downs AONB subscribes to GRANTnet to assist local organisations in their search for funding. To find out more click here.