Grants boost for Yorkshire rural firms (From York Press)

Grants boost for Yorkshire rural firms

12:02pm Monday 8th February 2010

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RURAL businesses in Yorkshire have been given a boost through new grants to help the enterprises start, expand and improve.

The grants, available through Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, are part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).

The move follows research commissioned by Yorkshire Forward which identified the need to improve the quality of the accommodation offered in some parts of rural Yorkshire.

Gary Verity, Welcome to Yorkshire’s chief executive, is keen for businesses to seize this opportunity to develop Yorkshire’s rural tourism offer.

He said: “The Rural Development Programme is of immense benefit to our tourism operators and also the regional visitor economy. We want accommodation providers to take advantage of the support available to them to enhance their businesses and to ensure rural communities have a sustainable tourism offer.”

RDPE grants from £25,000, and equivalent to 50 per cent of total project costs, are available for accommodation meeting a set of criteria.

Serviced accommodation is the key priority; including rural pubs seeking to develop new high quality bedrooms, or to significantly upgrade existing accommodation if it will help the business become more economically sustainable.

Self-catering accommodation will also need to clearly demonstrate how it will deliver economic benefit for the local area.

Andy Tordoff, assistant director of environment for Rural Renaissance and Tourism at Yorkshire Forward, said: “It is important that our region’s rural areas can offer high quality accommodation, to attract visitors and ensure they visit again, contributing to the regional visitor economy.

“RDPE’s Rural Enterprise Investment Programme is a flexible package that can be accessed by many tourism businesses located in rural areas and we are working hard with Welcome to Yorkshire to ensure Yorkshire and Humber’s rural tourism businesses take advantage of it.” Tourism operators interested in further information should log on to welcometoyorkshire.net

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