Yorkshire Forward - The Regions Development Agency

Funding for businesses in rural areas

Yorkshire Forward is responsible for delivering the socio-economic aspects of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).

RDPE allocates money provided for rural development in England by the European Community (via EAFRD) and Defra. RDPE will run from 2007-2013 and enables Yorkshire Forward to invest £63m across our region (from a national budget of £3.9bn).

According to Defra, “The… RDPE, with environmental stewardship at its heart, aims to safeguard and enhance the rural environment, improve the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and foster competitive and sustainable rural businesses and thriving rural communities.”

Under RDPE, Yorkshire Forward can offer grant investment through:

• The Rural Enterprise Investment Programme (REIP) 
• The Farm Resource Efficiency Programme (FREP) 
• The Rural Business Start-Up Programme.

In addition to other programmes to support the development of rural services and skills, and the dissemination of information.

Contact

To discuss the Rural Enterprise Investment Programme (REIP) or Farm Resource Efficiency Programme (FREP) please contact:

Louise Hardcastle
West Yorkshire Rural Business Facilitator
E-mail.  (Louise.Hardcastle@Yorkshire-Forward.com)
Tel.  0113 394 9986

Peter Bainbridge
Humber Rural Business Facilitator
E-mail. (Peter.Bainbridge@Yorkshire-Forward.com)
Tel.  0113 394 9994

Chris Franklin
South Yorkshire Rural Business Facilitator
E-mail. (Chris.Franklin@Yorkshire-Forward.com)
Tel.  01709 766 474

Helen Ovens
North Yorkshire Rural Business Facilitator
E-mail.   (Helen.Ovens@Yorkshire-Forward.com)
Tel.  0113 394 9644

To discuss the Rural Business Start-up Programme please contact Business Link Yorkshire on 0845 6 048048.