£4.6m boost for rural businesses

Rural businesses in Lancashire will benefit from £4.6m to support employment and growth.

It will help farmers who are seeking to invest in new technologies, diversify or make onsite improvements. Funding will also be available for new or existing small or micro enterprises looking to create job opportunities.

Projects funded in the 2009-2013 Rural Programme include Fiddlers Lancashire Crisps which benefitted from funding to create a manufacturing facility at their family farm. The programme also provided funding to the Odd Chair Company who had outgrown their site and needed additional space to expand their business.

The funding will be given out through local bodies, known as Local Action Groups made up of representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors who have spent the last year identifying local priority areas for funding. The programme will initially focus on farming and enterprise, and later this year will look to support forestry, tourism, culture & heritage, and community projects.