CAROLINE HANLAN

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Anaerobic Digestion Meeting 28th August 2008
CAROLINE HANLAN
REG PROJECT OFFICER (CORNWALL)
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• Background
• Launched in August 2004
• Delivered through the Business Link Network
• for the South West
• Directly involved with SWCoRE, University of
• Plymouth and Royal Agricultural College
• Works closely with other partners throughout
• the South West
• Evolved and adapted to meet needs of rural
• businesses

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Rural Enterprise Gateway
Helping rural business to develop

• Gateway - For all rural businesses
• Free information and sign-posting
• Gateway to other initiatives

• For groups of rural businesses
• Local Project Officers
• Knowledge Transfer Resource
• Rural Development Vouchers

• For individual rural businesses
• Rural Development Vouchers
• Broker Support

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Rural Enterprise Gateway
Helping rural business to develop

• Who can we support?
• RDPE eligibility criteria applies
• Group support is primarily aimed at farming and
  land-based businesses (at a 70 grant rate)
• We can also support some rural
  micro-enterprises (at a 50 grant rate)
• Group is required to contribute a private match
  (of 30 or 50 depending on eligibility)

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Rural Enterprise Gateway
Helping rural business to develop
Examples of eligible businesses

• (70 Grant Rate)
• Farming businesses
• Farming businesses with
• diversified enterprises
• Farm shops
• Farmers market groups
• Farm-based tourism
• Woodland/Forestry
• businesses
• Horticulture/growers
• Contractors dependent
• on agricultural trade

• (50 Grant Rate)
• Tourism businesses in a
• rural area (not connected
• to a farm business)
• Food processors

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Rural Enterprise Gateway
Helping rural business to develop
Types of eligible activities REG can support

• Advice on benchmarking
• Marketing advice
• Resource efficiency advice
• Soil management consultancy
• Supplier contracts advice
• Collaboration advice
• Best practice visits to other farms
• National conferences
• Farm walks with experts
• Study visits (subject to value for money tests)

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Cornish Flower Train
The REG Knowledge Network provided the group with
essential information on the Cut Flower Market in
the UK
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Deliciously Dirty Potatoes
Partnership working has helped create an
effective marketing strategy for the group
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Rural Enterprise Gateway
Helping rural business to develop

• REG Group support - Eligibility Criteria as
  follows
• Does your business have an agricultural holding
  number?
• Is the majority of your income from agriculture?
• Does your business produce, process or sell any
  agricultural products?
• Or is your business dependent on agriculture,
  e.g. agricultural contractor?
• For a REG group to receive Cornwall funding, the
  group must have a minimum of 4 Cornish members,
  and the majority of members within that group
  should be Cornwall based

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Rural Enterprise Gateway
Helping rural business to develop

• Any Questions?

Contact Details Caroline Hanlan REG Project
Officer (Cornwall) Tel [phone] ext
8218 Email caroline.hanlan_at_blpeninsula.co.uk