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Community regeneration
- 1. www.bridgend.gov.ukwww.bridgend.gov.uk Europe Matters to Wales 14th May 2015 Supporting Bridgend's Economy Amy Ryall, Carly McCreesh, Rhiannon Hardiman Bridgend County Borough Council
- 2. www.bridgend.gov.uk Supporting Bridgend’s Economy Schemes developed to start in 2010 to meet demand and gap in market in Bridgend county. Convergence Funded Projects: •South East Wales Local Investment Fund (LIF) •South East Wales Community Economic Development Fund (SEWCED) Rural Development Programme Funded Projects: •Green Shoots •Innovation Fund
- 3. www.bridgend.gov.ukwww.bridgend.gov.uk South East Wales Local Investment Fund (LIF) LIF provides financial support to eligible businesses located in the areas of Bridgend, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Merthyr, Rhondda Cynon Taff, and Torfaen. “Customer-led” approach to funding opportunities for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs), where a significant proportion of their activity is ‘business-to-business’. The funding offers up to 40% of grant support for approved project costs up to a maximum of £5,000. The minimum grant amount is £1,000. Projects considered include investment in capital equipment, specialist software, website design, non-recurring marketing costs and refurbishment of industrial premises.
- 4. www.bridgend.gov.uk Green Shoots Funded through the Rural Development Programme to support micro businesses. Centres of rural enterprise •Physical and virtual business support to help develop new products, improve supply chains, apply improved techniques and add value. Micro Enterprise Grant Support •Up to £1000 for areas such as ICT and Marketing, research and development, innovative techniques and adding value to local assets. Rural Advisory Service •1 to 1 support for local businesses with a specific focus on young people.
- 5. www.bridgend.gov.uk Cornelly and District Development Trust (CADDT) • Grant of £30,000 used to transform building that had been unoccupied for 12 years to create Genesis Enterprise Centre • Houses a mix of retail and office space, conference and meeting facilities • Benefit to local businesses, residents, and community groups • Projects support people to volunteer, access training and enter employment
- 7. www.bridgend.gov.uk Let’s Innovate (RDP LEADER) • The Let’s Innovate scheme was able to support communities to address local issues in innovative ways. • Diversification from core business • Trial or pilot new products/approaches/markets before taking to market • Supported up to 10k at up to 100% of costs. • Mentoring pot - to do something that was completely new to them and support sustainability & continuation.
- 8. www.bridgend.gov.uk SEWCED A flexible grant programme supporting third sector organisations to become economically sustainable and reduce their grant dependency Grant Funding:- Option A • Revenue up to £25k for organisational development activities Grant Funding:- Option B . •Revenue up to £80k to provide staff, on a tapered basis to reduce grant dependency Grant Funding:- Option C • Capital up to £25k for equipment, refurbishments, environment improvements etc. Grant Funding:- Option D •Capital up to £50k for equipment, refurbishments, environment improvements etc.
- 9. www.bridgend.gov.uk Real Opportunities • Real Opportunities project funded by ESF • Worked with young people aged 14-19 years old with a Learning Disability, Severe and Complex Needs or an Autistic Spectrum Disorder • Project also funded a Social Enterprise Development Officer to investigate and make links with existing social enterprises, and explore the possibility of developing a new social enterprise to train young people and develop their skills to secure future long-term employment. • The Development Officer developed a social enterprise to provide a bike repair and maintenance service, and successfully applied for a SEWCED grant of £3800 to undertake a feasibility study.
- 10. www.bridgend.gov.uk Cwm Tawel and SEWCED • Set up in 2010 as a community group promoting traditional rural crafts and foraging. • SEWCED award of £130,809 has enabled the group to provide ‘glamping’ accommodation including tipis and yurts as part of its income generation plan. • Project met a niche in the accommodation market in Bridgend county borough, while offering volunteering opportunities to local long term unemployed people. • Grant used to purchase yurts and support salaries for two staff to develop commercial opportunities and deliver rural workshops. • Over the past year, there have been 172 booking for the campsite - and 58 bookings for courses • Cwm Tawel’s success has had an impact on other businesses in the area. • The investment will allow it to become fully self-sufficient
- 11. www.bridgend.gov.ukwww.bridgend.gov.uk Cwm Tawel and Reach • reach assisted Cwm Tawel in the purchase of a yurt through the Rural Tourism Development Fund, with a grant of £4,914. • Through the Let’s Innovate programme, they were able to secure funding to diversify their offer – Woodland Education Project. • Through schools and pupil referrals, work with children who have difficulties with literacy and numeracy and teach them in an outdoor woodland setting. • The trial resulted in continued programme of work with the clients engaged in the project. • The support from SEWCED and Rural Tourism Fund helped build the core businesses, the Let’s Innovate funding allowed them to take risks and try a diversified offer to improve sustainability of the organisation.
- 12. www.bridgend.gov.uk Benefits • Similar processes and procedures • Referral process to most appropriate sources of support • Information sharing and communication • Referrals to external support agencies for specialist advice • Case conference, solution focused approach • Grants panel expertise • Reputation of support teams • Schemes worked in conjunction to build capacity and sustainability of recipient organisations
- 13. www.bridgend.gov.ukwww.bridgend.gov.uk Further Information Local Investment Fund (LIF) Jeff Peters/Tracy Mortimer Tel: 01656 641706 Email: business@bridgend.gov.uk Website: http://business.bridgend.gov.uk/ South East Wales Community Economic Development Fund (SEWCED) Carly McCreesh Tel: 01656 815323 Email: carly.mccreesh@bridgend.gov.uk Reach (Rural Development Programme) Rhiannon Hardiman: Tel: 01656 815080 Email: rural.development@bridgendreach.org.uk Website:http://www.bridgendreach.org.uk Regeneration Funding Team Amy Ryall Tel: 01656 815081 Email: amy.ryall@bridgend.gov.uk Website: www.bridgendfunding.org.uk
Editor's Notes
- Grant schemes established to meet a gap in the market for support for Small to Medium Sized enterprises, social enterprises and the third sector. The LIF met the needs of traditional businesses, but it was recognised that more specific support was needed for SE’s, leading to the creation of SEWCED. Green Shoots supported micro businesses (9 employees or fewer) from rural wards, meeting the gap in support for lifestyle companies, while the Innovation Fund was established to enable new activities to be tested for rural businesses needing to diversify into new areas. The RDP enabled more innovative actions to be supported that ERDF could not fund.
- Project ends June 2015
- Capital and revenue grants of £250 to £2,500 were available for new and existing micro-enterprises to help them grow. Grants of up to £50,000 were also available to upgrade existing buildings to provide centres for rural enterprises to work from. A micro-enterprise is defined as an enterprise which employs fewer than 10 people and whose annual turnover and or annual balance sheet total does not exceed EUR 2 million. 3 centres of Rural Enterprise were: Sony UK Tec, with 10 units created, all quickly fully occupied. 2 of these companies, Wales Interactive and Dojo Arcade, have received a Green Shoots bursary Garw Valley Health and Fitness Club Genesis Enterprise Centre, run by the Cornelly and District Development Trust (CADDT) Project now closed, exceeded all targets, eg 45 jobs created against a target of 12
- Option A – to research viability of potential future markets, develop business plans, employ consultants, running costs, marketing, PR and training. Option C - aimed at the purchase of IT equipment, feasibility studies, small items of equipment, installation of IT networks, health and safety issues, basic refurbishment, environmental improvements, refurbishment and modernising of property, purchase of large items of equipment and vehicles Option D proposed use is for the purchase of property, complete refurbishment of buildings, new builds, major structural works, development of visitor attractions, development of sector specific centres.
- Example of how a project has benefited from ESF, and then developed a business model with ERDF support. Project worked with pupils with ASD or a learning disability. In Bridgend, a SE Development Officer was employed to explore the possibility of establishing a Social Enterprise to train young people and provide them with employment skills. Any future plans as a result of the successful implementation of this?
- Officers on each of the schemes had a good understanding of all the programmes, enabling them to assess the most appropriate source of support for each applicant and refer across when necessary. Composition of the grants panel felt to be very important, members selected to ensure a range of expertise was included with a strong commercial focus. The teams extensive experience, contacts, and knowledge of local businesses meant they were viewed as a reliable and trustworthy source of information and support. SEWCED co-ordinated the local Social Economy and Enterprise Network (SEEN3). Information and sharing sessions were organised each year for SEEN3 members with subjects including marketing, branding, tendering and local authority commissioning, and study tours to share best practice.