Viper Rural

Defra Help Rural Destinations

- News article posted on Friday 16 Dec 2011 at 11:24 by Jim Hardcastle

Defra has announced a series of schemes to help rural destinations market themselves. The packages will help rural businesses, tourism and the food and drink sector through different funding schemes.

Rural communities need a diverse range of businesses and work opportunities to flourish including manufacturing, finance, creative industries, tourism, farming, food production, and new green technology based enterprises. Marketing and destination management is crucial for all of them.

The targeting of funds through the Rural Development Programme for England and the AONBs, among other ways, has come about due to the Rural Economy Growth Review. This found the significance of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is greater in rural areas, and they also face specific barriers to growth such as poor electronic communications; a lack of premises for businesses to start up, expand or diversify; and limited access to a local workforce with the right skills.

To read more about accessing these funds click here

- Posted on Friday 16 Dec 2011 at 11:24 by Jim Hardcastle