Rural businesses across Swindon and Wiltshire targeting higher growth and innovation are being encouraged to apply for grants from a £3.9m fund secured by Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
The LEP sees the fund as a huge boost to the rural economy through job creation and driving growth. 
Rural businesses engaged in tourism, food and drink processing and rural innovation are invited to apply for the grants through a competitive application process under the government’s Rural Development Programme England (RDPE).
LEP chairman John Mortimer said: “Our LEP area has a strong profile of rural businesses engaged in tourism, food and drink and improvement and protection of our natural capital resources.
“This investment will be instrumental in supporting these small and micro businesses to achieve greater growth and become robust and resilient contributors to the local economy.
“I encourage our rural businesses to put forward strong proposals for funding their future growth through this programme. Our LEP area has a vibrant rural economy and investing these new funds wisely will give it a further boost, creating jobs and improving prosperity in our rural communities.”
The fund has been allocated to the Swindon and Wiltshire area through the EU’s European Agriculture Food and Rural Development (EAFRD) Fund, managed by the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
