Business and Enterprise Council Shirehall Abbey Foregate Shrewsbury Shropshire SY2 6ND

Tel: 01743 252271 Email: [email protected]

External Funding Update 89

Contents

1. SHROPSHIRE AND HEREFORDSHIRE BUSINESS ENTERPRISE FUND

2. EARLY £34,000 CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR SHROPSHIRE VILLAGERS

3. FUNDING NEWS

1. SHROPSHIRE AND HEREFORDSHIRE BUSINESS ENTERPRISE FUND www.shropshire.gov.uk/sbef

The Business Enterprise Fund has now supported 37 businesses across Shropshire and Herefordshire, with £163k already been paid out in grants and a further £84k committed.

However there is still nearly £750k available for eligible businesses to access between now and December 2013.

The Fund provides capital grants for start-ups and businesses operating in the ‘businesses to businesses’ (b2b) sectors, such as professional services and manufacturing (including food processing), and businesses which attract visitors to the area, such as attractions and accommodation providers. Community Enterprises operating in the same sectors are also eligible to apply.

Case studies available on the website provide examples of the sort of businesses and purchases that can be supported.

Please refer to the website for more information on the application process. The next deadline for applications is 28th January.

2. EARLY £34,000 CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR SHROPSHIRE VILLAGERS

Christmas has come early for villagers in Shropshire who are receiving £34,167 from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) to set up a community shop.

The shop in Aston on will be run from a specially-built portable building within the grounds of the village hall.

1 The award is from BIG’s Village SOS scheme, which aims to help rural communities that may be struggling with issues such as isolation and the closure of local amenities, through supporting them to run community enterprises.

The shop will sell a range of local produce and will also offer other services such as dry- cleaning, parcel drop-off and delivery, and prescription collection.

David Jones, Chairman of Aston on Clun Community Shop Limited, said: “This news is a wonderful early Christmas gift for Aston on Clun, for Parish, and the surrounding communities in the Clun Valley. The grant will enable us to revive a much missed local facility. It will make a material difference to those who are unable to drive. The new shop will provide a place for people to meet as well as to buy household goods and food. Our intention is to source as much of the food produce as possible from the local area. We have a busy time ahead of us to get the shop ready for opening in April, but we are all very excited now that it is achievable - thanks to Village SOS.”

3. FUNDING NEWS

GRANTS FOR THE ARTS LIBRARIES FUND http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/apply-for-funding/grants-arts-libraries-fund/

This fund aims to support public library-led projects that stimulate partnerships between libraries and artists and arts organisations, and which encourage communities to participate actively in artistic and cultural activities.

A wide range of arts activities will be considered for funding as longs as they support, enhance and enrich public libraries’ core work, and develop libraries’ role as a cultural provider in their communities. Examples of eligible activities include:

• Festivals • Exhibitions • Workshop programmes • Residencies • Digital projects • Performances

The lead applicant for this fund must be a:

• Public library • Public library authority • Network of public library authorities • An organisation managing a public library authority as defined under the Public Libraries & Museums Act 1964 • The fund has a budget of £6 million to be allocated to projects between September 2012 and March 2015

Grants of between £1,000 and £100,000 are available to cover activities of up to three years.

2 Applications for grants over £100,000 may be accepted in special circumstances. These projects must be agreed with Arts Council before submitting an application.

The fund is a rolling programme. Applications can be made at any time.

SPEED PLUS http://www.speed-plus.org/

A further £4 million in funding has been put into the Speed Plus scheme which assists graduate business entrepreneurs coming from universities.

The extra funds will support the programme until 2015. During this time, it is expected that the scheme will provide 600 graduates and students with the chance to access tailored advice and support.

Participants will receive direct financial support of £1,500 and access to business development workshops, including a weekend residential, to enable them to network and learn useful skills for running a business. They will also have access to business facilities such as incubation space and up to 12 hours of support from a business consultant.

In order to qualify as a participant, applicants need to be a student, graduate or alumni from a university in the West Midlands wishing to set up a business in the region. They also need to be a UK, EU or EEA national. It is also possible to assist graduates returning to the region from other parts of the UK.

A partnership may apply with one applicant taking the lead role and additional applicants applying as associates. Only the person applying for the lead role will be eligible for funding. However, all members of the team/partnership will be expected to fully participate in the project.

Applications may be submitted at any time

AWARDS FOR ALL www.awardsforall.org.uk for the last 6 months BIG has been running a pilot in the West Midlands region giving groups the opportunity to apply for repeat and on-going activities under Awards for All, which was due to close today.

Due to the success of this pilot BIG has decided to roll out this pilot across the whole of England for at least another four months until 31 March 2013.

Previously Awards for All did not fund on-going, regular or repeat activities, as the programme has focused on ‘new’ project ideas. However, in these challenging times we are increasingly aware of the pressures smaller groups face with rising costs and cuts to funding, and want to respond to this by looking at alternative ways of funding projects that support those most in need.

The relaxation of this criteria will apply to all projects where the applicant has an income of

3 less than (or equal to) £30,000 according to their latest accounts. Please be aware that all income, including any restricted funds from statutory or other sources will be classed as income, therefore unfortunately schools for example are unable to apply.

Any applications received for repeat and on-going activities over this time period, and meeting the criteria above, will be assessed in the normal way. Please be aware that application materials (Guide for applicants and Application form) will not be changed.

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