Rural Renaissance Project progress in 2008-9

The final year of Rural Renaissance in Somerset has seen 11 new projects funded with an investment, along with 5 workspace projects benefit from redundant building grants.

 » West Somerset Economic Study – RR contribution of £5k towards a much larger project being led by West Somerset Council. This study is now almost complete, following on from various workshops and a conference in the Autumn, with a final report to be considered by the Council in early 2009.

»   Market Towns Investment Fund – £50k towards a £150k pot for 0809 being managed by Somerset County Council. All of these funds have now been allocated following the 3rd bidding round, and over a dozen towns have benefitted.

»   Somerset Food & Drink Study – £15k towards £30k study into how to ensure effective support and intervention for this important sector. This study is now almost completed and the consultants will be reporting to the RR Board and the Somerset Land Economy Group at their meeting in February.

»   Churchinford Community Shop – £20k towards a new community shop to serve this and surrounding villages and boost sales of local produce. This project was approved but is no longer going ahead as alternative shop provision has now occurred.

»  Milborne Port Economic study –£5k towards this to see what else could be done to boost the local economy, with the aim that the study might also be helpful to other similar towns as pointing the way to staying vibrant.This study is now underway.

»   On Track, Somerset Film - £9k for a pilot business support project for the film and video sub-sector of the Creative Industries. The project will assist a minimum of twelve rurally isolated businesses to improve their performance. 5 companies attended a 'Meet the Buyer event in December 2008, and 7 individuals attended training workshops the same month.

»   Rural business mentoring – £10k of RR funds towards recruiting, training and deploying accredited mentors for small rural businesses within the South Somerset area. A large number of potential mentors have now been recruited and training and deployment is underway.

»   Rural Routeway, ViSTA - £20k for this project that will deliver job search/work preparation/ support/ interview guarantees for 32 workless individuals in the rural locations of West Somerset and South Somerset.  All participants will be given the encouragement and opportunity to complete an accredited unit for work readiness skills within a range from the National Open College Network Progression Awards at level 1 or level 2. Recruitment fairs took place in Langport and Minehead during December and were very successful, and these identified 8 and 16 beneficiaries respectively. A further 20 have been identified separately, and training starts in Minehead and Langport in January and in Glastonbury in February.

»   Somerset - A Green & Pleasant landscape project - £10k to increase the number of tourism businesses participating in and gaining Green Tourism Business Scheme accreditation. The consultants providing the guidance have been appointed and the inception meeting took place on November 4th 2008. The first Field Trip to demonstrate 'going green' took place at the Mill on the Brue, Bruton, and was very successful.

»  Project Greenskill, Somerset Rural Youth Project - £12.5k for the project to introduce young people to land-based and environmental skills though a co-ordinated programme of volunteering. 8 volunteers worked with the Forestry Commission on October 29th in Chagot Woods to help clear paths as part of the works on the West Somerset Mineral Line. 10 youngsters from Wookey Hole Youth Group have attended sessions to deliver small-scale conservation activity, and in February will be carrying out a hedge-laying project. Youngsters from Porlock Youth Club are due to carry out works on Exmoor early in 2009.

 

» Somerset Festivals audit and development work - £15k for the cost of carrying out a Somerset wide audit of festival, carnivals and parish events creating an event calendar for Somerset and to establish an on-line toolkit providing the events community with access to all the relevant information and guidance required to stage events, find resources, artists and musicians. This audit is due to take place in February 2009.