February 2012 -
Are you a farmer, forester, farming contractor, woodland owner or horticultural business?
If so, there are grants available to help you meet one or more of the following objectives:
- Improving animal health and welfare
- Reducing energy usage
- Improving the management of manures / farm nutrients
- Improving soil quality
- Improving water resource management
- Improving the use of forestry resources
Grants are available for many items that you may already be considering, so why not see if you can get up to 50% of the costs from Defra? The next funding round is likely to be in March 2012, so we would advise that you book your free site visit now. For further information, click here.
Congratulations to Barnstaple Railway Station!
At the recent Translink International Station Awards, Barnstaple Station was announced as the winner of the International Best Small Station category. This was a well deserved award for everyone involved at the Station with the renovation of the station being an ongoing long term project. In 2008, Devon Renaissance granted Rural Renaissance funding through the Redundant Buildings Grant to convert the redundant Station Master's House to provide a cafe, museum, and office workspace.
It's finished!
The Collaton to Butts Park Path Link is now complete and providing a safe pedestrian access for an isolated residential area of the parish of Newton & Noss. This link will now enable people without transport to walk to Newton Ferrers to access facilities and social activities whilst avoiding the dangers of the busy B3186 - the only road for traffic entering / leaving Newton & Noss villages. The project was funded by the South Devon Coastal Local Action Group, Devon County Council 'Investing in Communities' and Newton & Noss Parish Council and will have its official opening in Spring 2012.
DR Key Event 'Are we making the most of our resources? Food & Energy resilience in the South West'
To find out more about this event which was held on 4th November, please click here.
To watch highlights from the debating session, please click here. Please note that this footage works with QuickTime player and may need to be installed depending on the operating system used.
Calling all businesses! - West Devon & South Hams Business Survey 2011
Businesses in West Devon and the South Hams are invited to complete a survey that will help DR and your local councils to understand how they can help you. This includes applying for funding to pay for this help.
This survey follows on from previous surveys over the last six years that have helped to bring over £4 million of funding into the area for projects that have provided (amongst other things), hundreds of free or subsidised training opportunities, IT equipment and advice, and funding directly to businesses to fulfill growth plans and to find suitable new premises.
We are keen to hear from all types of businesses and hope to understand what issues businesses are facing at the moment, and what help might be useful to address these issues.
We are also particularly interested to learn about the premises that businesses currently work from and if they want to make any changes in the future, either by relocating or adapting / expanding the existing premises.
DR is carrying out the survey in partnership with South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council and you can access the survey online here.
The survey takes less than ten minutes to complete. If you do not have internet access, just call the team on 01837 658643 to go through the questions over the phone.
Dartmoor becomes interactive!
The Dartmoor Partnership, the official tourism organization for Dartmoor has recently gone live with its new state of the art website, www.dartmoor.co.uk
The website promises to offer visitors and locals alike the opportunity to discover places to stay, where to eat, things to do and what's on all with the ability to delve into the moors from the comfort of your own home.
The website has been launched as part of the Active Dartmoor Project, a three year campaign, managed by the Dartmoor Partnership with the aim of raising the profile of Dartmoor as a centre of activity for all ages and abilities. The project is funded by Greater Dartmoor LEAF, together with partners, Duchy of Cornwall, Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund and West Devon Borough Council. The new look website is the last major step in the project and accompanies the Dartmoor iPhone app and Active Dartmoor magazine in providing better information for visitors and locals alike.
Keith Green, Dartmoor Partnership Chairman comments 'The website offers visitors a huge resource, making it easier to plan their trip, make accommodation bookings, find out where to dine, what bus to catch, and where to get kit, as well as downloading routes for free! We want everyone to enjoy Dartmoor; all ages, all abilities. The new website allows everyone to just get out onto the moor and do something different, for free.'
PILGRIM BM45 - Home again!
Following a lengthy restoration project, PILGRIM, the last Brixham built registered trawler, returned to Brixham harbour on 4th October 2011 under her own engine power. With restoration costs estimated at £1.3 million, this was secured with a variety of match funders including the Heritage Lottery Fund and the South Devon Coastal LAG.
Please follow the link to find out more about this exciting maritime heritage project.
South Devon Coastal Renewable Energy Network
This is a project which has received funding from the South Devon Coastal Local Action Group.
SDCREN can offer
- Subsidised professional training for renewable technology installation, servicing and maintenance
- Free site assessments to identify Renewable Energy options for local businesses and communities
- Series of local events to expand the network with high profile speakers on relevant key topics
- Hosting Renewable Energy tours of existing systems
For more information call: 01752 235180 / 07739351184
Email: Karl@energyactiondevon.org.uk
