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RDPE

The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) is jointly funded by Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

One of the aims of the fund was to support small rural tourism businesses in Cheshire and Warrington.  It did this by providing grants under two schemes both delivered by Marketing Cheshire. It was launched in 2008 and closed in March 2012. 

Latest News

Tourism Connect has so far created 35 potential jobs and £702,000 of grants will be invested in the local economy. Tourism Vitality has also been successful with £98,500 of grants being invested in regional events and attractions.

Success Stories:

With Tourism Connect & Cheshire Vitality closing at the end of March 2012, The Rural Economy Grant (REG) has now been launched by Defra.

The £60m national REG provides grants to enable a significant, transformational performance in farm, forestry, tourism, agri-food businesses and micro businesses in rural areas. Of this £60m, £10m has been allocated to rural tourism, to unlock significant rural economic growth potential. Businesses can apply for grants from £25,000 to £1m, however grants can only cover a maximum of 40% of the total project cost and must be matched 60% by private investment.

This grant will not fund self catering accommodation, camping/caravan sites or alternative accommodation except in exceptional circumstances where a proposal has demonstrable links & Economic benefit to other tourism businesses and organizations.

There is a strict funding criteria and businesses must be in a rural location as defined in the applicant handbook and appendices.

The REG application process is extremely competitive and those projects offering the greatest return on grant investment will be more likely to be successful. The application process consists of a project outline being submitted before the 30th April 2012, this will then be scored against key criteria which will decide whether a project may proceed to the Full application stage. Applicants should know the outcome of their outline application within 8 weeks. The Full application requires several pieces of supporting evidence to demonstrate the need, impact, value for money and deliverability of the project and how it will make a difference to your business and the local economy.

You will find all the information you need about the new grant scheme on the website - http://rdpenetwork.defra.gov.uk/funding-sources/rural-economy-grant. Marketing Cheshire will do it’s utmost to help as many eligible projects through the process so that as much of this money can be spent within the Cheshire Visitor Economy.

If you have a project in mind and want to know more information about the scheme please email a member of the RDPE team at Marketing Cheshire or contact us on 01270 625131 ext 147

RDPE Tourism Connect - Business Support Pack

As part of the RDPE Tourism Connect Scheme a Business Support Pack has been put together which gives new & existing accommodation businesses relevant information that may help them run a successful business. The pack is split into various sections which include information about the importance of running a high quality business and how to reach 4 & 5* standard, relevant legislation, information about effective marketing and the various marketing channels. There is also a business know how section with information about how to set up a new accommodation business and how to run a green and cost effective business. We have also included relevant contact details that may help businesses along the way. Please download the relevant sections below:

  • Business Know How - Everything you need to know about setting up a new accommodation business and how to make it a success.

  • Quality - Offering Something Special. What is quality, why it's so important and how to achieve it. The small touches make a big difference.

  • Marketing - How to successfully maket your tourism business, why marketing in so important, using Social Media and identifying your customers.

  • Legal Necessities - Helping you to navigate the rules and regulations that have a direct impact on your business.

For more information please contact:

Laura Boatwright (l.boatwright@marketingcheshire.co.uk )
Project Assistant
T: 01270 625131 ext. 147