GRANTS for LOCAL BUSINESSES, FARMS, TOURISM and COMMUNITY ENTERPRISES
Cambridgeshire and West Norfolk Fens
Fens Adventurers fully committed
The Fens Adventurers Local Action Group awarded their last £100,000 to four projects at the end of March 2013. The programme is now closed to new applications.
In the end the Local Action Group invested £2.57 million in 66 initiatives, levering an additional £4.8 million of private finance into the locality in the lifespan of the programme 2009-13.
A new rural development programme is expected to start in 2015; the budget, geography and priorities for this programme are yet to be decided. Consultation on this new programme will begin in early 2014 and Cambridgeshire ACRE and Local Partners will be managing this process.
Images of Rural Europe
Pete Johnstone, a local photographer, has entered a european competition to celebrate the beauty and diversity of Rural Europe covering a variety of rural development themes. To see this fantastic collection of unique and beautiful images please click the link.www.ruralimages.eu
Other Funding:
If you aren't eligible for Fens Adventurers RDPE funding please see below for other schemes that might be of interest:
Big Lottery Village SOS Fund:
An additional £4m is now available to inspire a rural revival across the UK and support rural communities that may be struggling with issues such as isolation and the closure of local amenities. The grants range between £10,000 and £50,000 and are available to help communities develop plans for enterprising community projects that will satisfy a local need or improve services for local people, from community shops and pubs to energy or transport schemes, craft or food projects.www.villagesos.org.uk/funding
Big Society Capital:
This £600m scheme has been designed to lend money to social and community enterprises at a cheaper rate than commercial providers by working via existing social investment intermediaries such as Charity Bank and Social Investment Business. You can find out more at www.bigsocietycapital.com
Paths for Communities:
The aim of the Scheme will be to encourage and enable local communities to work with land owners to develop and enhance local public paths in ways that deliver wider benefit and to offer a network with more appeal to visitors and tourists, contributing to the rural economy through better support for local services such as shops, pubs, hotels, bed and breakfasts, equestrian and cycle businesses. Funding of £1m in both 2012/13 and 2013/14 financial years is now available, for more details please go to www.naturalengland.org.uk
You can also follow the Fens Adventurers on Twitter 
Fens Adventurers Local Action Group (FALAG) is funded by Defra, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development:Europe investing in rural areas. The funding is managed locally by Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire ACRE. FALAG is also funded by Cambridgeshire County Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, Fenland District Council and Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk.
