New LEADER Funding for Rural Communities
Wednesday, March 19 2008
The news that the bid to attract funding for rural communities in the Borders had been successful was welcomed by Scottish Borders Council and its partners last week.
The Scottish Government and European Union have now confirmed funding of £2.33million for a new LEADER Programme in the Scottish Borders. The Programme is expected to be launched and open to applications as early as May 2008.
The new LEADER Programme will support projects that result in innovation, cooperation, community involvement and sustainable rural development. Funding will be available under two main themes – Progressive Rural Economy and Revitalising Rural Communities.
As the funding is primarily for rural areas, projects based in Hawick and Galashiels, which have populations of over 10,000, would need to demonstrate strong links to the surrounding rural areas to be eligible for support.
The new funding package will be distributed through the Scottish Borders LEADER Local Action Group (LAG) – a partnership between public agencies and various local organisations, including Tweed Forum, National Farmers’ Union Scotaland, Borders Forest Trust, Scottish Borders Community Council Network and Youth Borders.
Projects which could be eligible for funding include support for cooperation between farmers to develop a wildlife tourism project; support for a group of businesses to develop local food products or support for cultural activities including events and festivals.
Sam Smith, Rural Development Officer at Scottish Borders Council, said: “This is great news for rural communities in the Scottish Borders. The success of the bid is a result of the forward-looking vision and hard work of a large number of rural partners over the last year.”
Bryan McGrath, Chair of the LEADER ‘Decision Making Group’ said: “The new LEADER Programme will provide much needed support for improving rural quality of life and the economy in the Scottish Borders. It will encourage people to develop new ideas and find innovative solutions in rural areas.”
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