On Thursday 23rd February Carver Knowles hosted a very successful agricultural grant workshop, attended by farmers from Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. Carver Knowles have been involved with a range of successful grant applications from precision farming equipment to tourist centres.

 

The afternoon focused on two agricultural grants which are currently available; Growth Development Programme and LEADER. Mike Cluley also discussed the future of agricultural grants after Brexit. The Government have stated that they will honour any grant funding allocated pre 2019, clearly highlighting the importance of applying early for grants as they will not be around forever.

Growth Development Programme

Mike described the Growth Development Programme explaining the themes and local priorities of the application. This varies county by county but some common themes exist cross border. The aims of the funding is to support business providing multiple benefits to the local area. Using the successful Growth Development Programme application of Broadway Tower as an example, Mike discussed the application process from the first expression of interest to the final claim, giving an indication of the type of associated work expected to support the application.

The success of the Broadway Tower application was down to its clear economic and environmental benefits. The development aimed to bring more visitors to the area, promote a historically significant building and encourage visitors to travel in a sustainable method in the local area. All of these themes can be met by a range of different scheme and its down to the application to highlight these benefits.

Leader Grant

Alyssia Thomas explained the LEADER Grant, specifically focusing on the agriculture priorities and how this can be used to benefit local farmers. Alyssia discussed the type of equipment and machinery which may be eligible under the scheme, whilst explaining the application process step by step.

 

After the presentations there was an opportunity for the attendees to discuss potential ideas they have and the best approach to the project.

 

If you would like to discuss any agricultural grants please call Mike Cluley or Alyssia Thomas. If you would like to register to attend our next grant workshop please get in touch with us.