Rural businesses can apply for grants support after Cheshire East Council secured funding to support its local rural economy.
The schemes being supported are the Rural Business Capital Grant scheme and the Cheshire East Visitor Economy Grant – funded by the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The Rural Business Capital Grant Scheme offers grants from £1,000 to £10,000 and can be used for small scale investment in micro and small enterprises in rural areas of the borough.
Eligible uses for the grant include:
Creation, improvement and expansion of rural leisure, hospitality, and tourism businesses
Purchase of equipment for food processing
Modernising existing equipment for increased energy efficiency or increased productivity through automation
Funding for resilience infrastructure and nature-based solutions that protect local businesses
The Cheshire East Visitor Economy Grant scheme offers grants from £1,000 up to a maximum of £10,000 per eligible business for the development and promotion of the visitor economy.
The fund is intended to be used to enhance Cheshire East’s rural visitor economy and rural leisure opportunities.
Eligible uses include developing local attractions, trails and visitor infrastructure, developing visitor experiences, tours and tourism products.
Apply via an online application form, and full details of both schemes can be found by visiting the council’s website at Support Packages and Services
Both schemes only open to businesses and organisations trading from a property based in the Cheshire East Council rural classification.
Expenditure that occurs after the 1 April 2023 will be eligible and businesses must hold a business bank account.
Cllr Mark Goldsmith, chair of Cheshire East Council’s economy and growth committee, said: “The funding for these two schemes is a welcome benefit to our rural economy, which is of course vital to our borough.
“We are well positioned to support any of our local businesses that could benefit from either of these schemes and I would urge anyone that feels that they may benefit from UKSPF funding to check through the criteria and then contact the council. We will be very happy to help.”
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