Funding

There is much excitement in Dumfries & Galloway this month, as the Dumfries & Galloway LEADER Programme recognise and prepare to celebrate the achievements of local projects funded by the 2014 - 2020 LEADER Programme Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

Six projects will benefit from £438,000 of investment to drive innovation in farming and food production.

Delivered through the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund, the new funding supports projects that introduce innovative approaches to enhancing competitiveness, promoting efficiency, and helping businesses shift to a low carbon climate resistant economy.

Announcing the funding while visiting Stravenhouse Farm near Carluke, one of the farms involved in the project, Rural Minister Mairi Gougeon said:

The European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) Contact Point is preparing a series of 'LEADER thematic labs'.

There will be up to four labs with 30 LEADER stakeholders in each. The thematic labs will be an opportunity for an in-depth exchange of ideas and will include keynote presentations, discussion of lessons learnt, including enabling factors and challenges, current achievements and future outlook. 

On 14 August 2019, we attended the Pairc Trust's house warming event at Gravir, on the Isle of Lewis.

New tenants were welcomed to the Pairc Trust's community-owned houses in Gravir, Isle of Lewis earlier this week at a special house warming event, held as part of the Community Land Week celebrations. 

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) are looking for feedback on public access funding.

SNH are reviewing public access funding under the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) for planning future funding options.

They're running a very short online survey that will only take a minute or so to complete. 

SNH want to hear feedback from farmers, landowners, tenants, crofters and agents.

Applications are currently being accepted for a third round of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Low Carbon Travel and Transport Challenge Fund.

Public, community and third sector organisations can apply for a share of the £13.25 million of available ERDF and Scottish Government support to help deliver innovative active travel and low carbon transport hubs.

The MaaS (Mobility as a Service) Investment Fund is open for applications.

This fund aims to encourage people out of cars and onto the sustainable public transport network. 

Would you like to travel overseas to research a new idea?

The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust is currently accepting applications for Churchill Fellowships.

The fellowships offer an opportunity for anyone to research new ideas overseas and make change happen in their profession or community when the return.

The Woodland Crofts Partnership has recently been awarded £33,000 over two years to support and promote the development of woodland crofts.

The announcement was made by Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy, Fergus Ewing MSP, when he attended the Nairn Show.

Sea fisheries and processing businesses are among those to share more than £5.6 million of funding from the eighth round of the European and Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

The funding awards include £1.3 million for Seafood Scotland to help it maximise key export markets and £1.35 million for J K Thomson in Musselburgh to support the construction of a new processing factory.

Announcing the latest award, Rural Minister Mairi Gougeon said: