Rural Bridgend 2007-2014
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Rural Bridgend 2007-2014 A celebration of Bridgend’s rural people, communities and enterprises Projects supported by reach - the Rural Development Programme for Bridgend Foreword by our Chair It has been a pleasure to Chair the reach Rural Partnership throughout what has been Bridgend County Borough’s first rural development programme. It has been a period of learning, investment and growth in our County Borough from our valleys area to the north right down to the coast in the south. This book is about the people living and working in these communities that have been working hard to deliver their ideas and aspirations and it has been a privilege to be able to support them in their efforts. Through this programme, we have been able to identify areas of need, develop solutions to the challenges faced in our rural communities and support communities to support themselves and each other through shared learning and important activities like networks and mentoring. We have worked with and across all sectors, developing projects from the grass roots level that connect the community, voluntary and small business sector. This has led to increased capacity in our communities, better skills to create the changes that people want to see and a stronger economy creating new market opportunities and jobs. I would personally like to thank my colleagues on the Bridgend Rural Partnership and the members of the Local Action Group over the seven years, many of whom volunteer of their own time in order to actively participate in the delivery of this programme and ensure that the benefits go to those who need them most. I would also like to thank the reach team for their contribution to this work and for the support given to those who need it. As the current programme draws to a close, this book explains what reach is all about, what our priorities have been over this period and how we have sought to tackle them. You will find a wide range of case studies, giving just a snapshot of all the projects delivered through this programme. I hope you enjoy reading about the people and communities that have been involved and I am sure they will provide inspiration for what is possible and ideas for future working together. Cllr. David Sage, Chair of the Bridgend Rural Partnership 2007-2014 Deputy Leader BCBC 2 What is reach? reach is the name for the programme that’s delivering the Rural Development Plan (RDP) in Bridgend County Borough. This booklet provides an overview of what the priorities have been for the programme here, how they have been tackled and the results of that work. It is full of case studies, providing a snapshot of all the activity that has taken place, plus maps to show where all activity has been located. The RDP provides support and resources to rural communities across Wales. Parts of the Plan are aimed specifically at the farming community and countryside with other elements directed towards the wider communities within the rural area. It forms a part of the European Commission’s Common Agricultural Policy. The 2007-2013 Plan has 4 main sections approach to community led regeneration called axes: projects that respond to local needs. Axis 1: improving the competitiveness of The Plan receives funding under the the agricultural and forestry sectors. European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). All of Wales is Axis 2: improving the environment and countryside (all Natura 2000 sites are eligible to apply for funds under Axes 1 and eligible for funding). 2 but under Axes 3 and 4 the programme only applies to areas classified as rural by Axis 3: improving the quality of life in rural the Office of National Statistics. areas and the diversification of the rural Bridgend County Borough has 21 wards economy. classified as rural with a population of 53,584. For many, RDP funding is the only Axis 4: sets out the LEADER programme source of regeneration funding available methodology rather than specific areas of through BCBC. activity. LEADER is an established Rural Crafts at Cwm Tawel 3 Projects by Rural Wards Map Key B Rural wards North Region B Rural wards East Region B Rural wards West Region B Non rural wards Key to the map l The Rural Tourism Development Fund (2008-2011) 1 Caerau 11 Blackmill Purple Pins: l Green Pins: The Rural Events Fund (2008-2011) 2 Maesteg West 12 Penprysg l Yellow Pins: The Building Rural Communities Fund (2008-2011) 3 Maesteg East 13 Felindre l Red Pins: Seeds for Village Renewal funding (2011-2014) 4 Llangynwyd 14 Hendre l Brown Pins: Stitching Together the Rural Landscape funding (2011-2014) 5 Blaengarw 15 Bryncethin l Olive Pins: Green Shoots funding for micro-enterprises (2011-2014) 6 Pontycymmer 16 Bryncoch l Orange Pins: Let’s Innovate LEADER commissioning scheme (2011-2014) 7 Llangeinor 17 Sarn l Toffee Pins: Community Foodie LEADER local growing initiative (2011-2014) l 8 Bettws 18 Ynysawdre Star Pins: Featured Case Studies within this book l Black Pins: Other LEADER activity 9 Nantymoel 19 Aberkenfig l White Pins: Third Party Hosted Project (2008-2011) 10 Ogmore Vale 20 Cefn Cribwr 21 Pyle 31 Llangewydd & Brynhyfryd 22 Cornelly 32 Newcastle 23 Nottage 33 Morfa 24 Rest Bay 34 Oldcastle 25 Porthcawl West Central 35 Litchard 26 Porthcawl East Central 36 Pendre 27 Newton 37 Coity 28 Bryntirion, Laleston & 38 Brackla Merthyr Mawr 29 Pen-y-Fai 39 Coychurch Lower 30 Cefn Glas 4 Governance The Bridgend Rural Partnership and Bridgend Local Action Group (LAG), the latter with a specific role in delivering the LEADER element of the programme, provide governance for the programme. Their members are representatives from public, private and third sectors and have appointed Bridgend County Borough Council as Lead Body for the programme. The priorities for delivery are set out in the Local Development Strategy for rural Bridgend which is aligned to the Corporate Improvement Plan and the Single Integrated Plan for Bridgend. The first phase of delivery fell within the 2008-2011 business plan period with a further successful bidding round leading to a second phase over 2011-2014. reach was formally launched in 2009 as the identity for rural development in the County Borough and a central team has worked alongside individuals, communities and enterprises to deliver the priorities set out in the Local Development Strategy. Those priorities include People, Place, Produce, Enterprise and Tourism. Investment The return on investment for the County Borough through this programme demonstrates a value of £9 for every £1 invested by BCBC. The total value of the 2007-2014 programme is shown in table 1 below. Table 1: Value of the Rural Development Programme for Bridgend 2007-2014 Financial make up Value % RDP (EU & WG) £4,479,297.15 81.96 Private Match Funding £435,794.13 7.97 BCBC Match Funding £549,912.91 10.06 Total £5,465,004.10 100.00 5 A range of funding schemes and community-based initiatives have provided direct funding to beneficiaries within the rural communities of Bridgend. Many of these schemes contribute to more than one of the priorities within the Local Development Strategy but broadly speaking they have aimed tackle the following: People l Top of the Mountain (2008-2011) l Rural Timecentre (2008-2011) l Building Rural Communities (2008-2011) l Reach Out (2011-2014) Place l Breathing Space (2008-2011) l Garw Environmental Action (2008-2011) l Seeds for Village Renewal funding (2011-2014) l Stitching Together the Rural Landscape funding (2011-2014) l Reach Out (2011-2014 Produce l Bridgend Real Food (2008-2011) l Virtual Farm Tours (2008-2011) l Community Foodie LEADER local growing initiative (2011-2014) l Reach Out (2011-2014) Enterprise l Real Food Shop (2008-2011) l Real Food Box (2008-2011) l Green Shoots funding for micro-enterprises (2011-2014) l Reach Out (2011-2014) Tourism l Unlocking Rural Bridgend (2008-2011) l Corridors to the Upper Garw Valley (2008-2011) l The Rural Tourism Development Fund (2008-2011) l The Rural Events Fund (2008-2011) l Reach Out (2011-2014) 6 Further funding and dedicated officer time has been available to support communities to develop their capacity and skills to make applications for funding, manage their funds and be able to take responsibility for the sustainability of their projects.This has included: l Working closely with community groups to develop local action plans l A range of bespoke study visits, workshops and training seminars l Grant surgeries, one-to-one mentoring, group support, specialist advice and coaching l Awareness raising and information dissemination events l Plus much more activity closely tailored to the specific needs of each individual, organisation and community that we have worked with. The programme has invested directly in the local economy with support via the Rural Tourism Development Fund, the Green Shoots programme and some of the Axis 4 pre-commercial trialling work. This has supported the start-up of new businesses, the continued growth and sustainability of businesses and the opening up of new markets for innovative ideas. As an example, through the Green Shoots project alone the programme has supported: l 48 existing micro-enterprises l 35 new micro-enterprises l 35+ new jobs created At this time, each job created by the Green Shoots project costs on average £2,895.00 per FTE job created. The Wales Economic Growth Fund spends on average £21,200 per job (source: OldBell3 Consulting) A case study in this book provides further details about the Green Shoots project. 7 Blueseas, Newton Impact ‘What better way to hear about the impact of the programme than to hear it from those who’ve benefitted from it…’ “reach were of great help to the Porthcawl Jazz Festival, by awarding us a grant it made it possible for us to extend the Jazz Festival to the area of Newton.