Rural Development Programme for England

(2014-2020) - LEADER

Cumbria Fells and DalesLocal Action Group

Call for applications to support Farm Diversifications which build on the distinctiveness of the Fells and Dales LAG area.

Call Reference / CFDLEADER15/160002
Date call open / 18th November 2015 and will remain open depending on availability of remaining funds.
There are several opportunities to submit an outline application to the programme during the year that this call is open. However, funding is limited and the call may close early depending on the availability of funds. / 2015
  • First submission deadline is Friday 11th December 2015 at 1700 hours
2016
  • Second submission deadline is Wednesday 17th February 2016 at 1700 hours
  • Thirdsubmission deadline is Thursday 17th May 2016 at 1700 hours
  • Fourth submission deadline is Wednesday 17th August 2016 at 1700 hours
  • Fifthsubmission deadline isThursday 17th November 2016 at 1700 hours
2017
  • Sixth submission deadline is Thursday 19th January 2017 at 1700 hours
  • Seventh submission deadline is Thursday 25th May 2017 at 1700 hours
  • Eighth submission deadline is Thursday 14th September 2017 at 17:00 hours
  • Ninth submission deadline is Thursday 30th November 2017

All respondents should in the first instance contact the Cumbria Fells and Dales Team on .

Read the LEADER Applicant Handbook that is available to download from our website ( This explains what applicants must do to apply for a grant,how grant applications are assessed and how to meet the terms of a grant funding agreement if an application is successful.

Contents Page:

1)Call Content

2)Scope of the Call

3)Outputs to be delivered

4)How to apply

5)General information

6)Submitting applications

7)Future Calls

  1. Call Context

1.1.Background

The LEADER Programme is part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) and is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

LEADER is a French acronym which roughly translates as ‘Liaison among Actors in Rural Economic Development’. LEADER is a community based, ‘bottom-up’ development programme for small rural businesses, communities, and farming and forestry businesses.

In England it is being implemented by Local Action Groups (LAGs) - of which Cumbria Fells and Dales (CFD) is one - and is targeted on specific rural areas with particular needs or priorities as identified through a Local Development Strategy.

A Local Action Group is made up of local public, private and civil society representatives, who work together to fund projects that help to improve their local rural community and economy.

1.2.Local Context

A key aim of the Cumbria Fells and DalesLEADER Programme is to support significant and sustainable rural economic growth in the local area in a way that respects the local distinctiveness of the area, fully engages local people and builds stronger, more resilient rural communities.

This call invites applications for investments which develop ideas that will help farm businesses to survive and grow, especially in the uplands. The LAG recognises the financial challenges of the county’s agricultural sector and how a diversified farm income stream is one of the routes to sustainable farming.

This call is aims to encourage farms to diversify into a business sector in which the farming family have skills and a marginal advantage which builds on the distinctiveness of the Fells and Dales area. Importantly, it will also allow families to continue in farming, which is of long term benefit to the county in both economic terms and in conserving our landscapes and livelihoods.

The LAG is interested in hearing from anyone in a farming family who has got an idea, or a passion and would like to invest to bring additional income into the overall farm business. The diversification can, for example, be into new or unusual stock, in adding value to product, offering technical services to other farmers, ‘ecosystem services’ contracting, the provision of work space for other businesses to occupy, use of premises or ‘redundant’ barns to house your own diversified enterprises or into other non-farming business activity.

Cumbria has a strong visitor economy and continues to be one of the UK’s most visited destinations with over 41 million visitors in 2014 (8% from overseas) generating £2.4 billion of visitor expenditure for Cumbria’s economy and providing nearly 34,000 full time jobs. Over 16,000 of these are based outside the Lake District National Park. A common idea for diversification is to provide tourism accommodation, self-catering, B & B, caravan sites and now ‘glamping’. However, the LAG is unlikely to fund these proposals in the Central Lakes, unless there is compelling evidence that new visitors will be attracted (perhaps from overseas or groups or ‘niche’ markets who do not normally visit The Lakes). The reason is that there are plenty of providers already and we would just be attracting visitors away from already established accommodation providers. In most areas outside the National Park, there is some room for new accommodation providers but the LAG will seek distinctiveness and quality rather than ‘mainstream’ offers.

  1. Scope of the Call

2.1.Purpose of Call

This call invites Outline Applications which support the delivery of Objective 2 of the Cumbria Fells. Applications are sought from:

  • Farm businesses to diversify into non-standard farming / add value to product;
  • Farmers and their immediate family to diversify into non farming activity.

In particular, this call will support the:

  • addition of value to produce from the farm, by processing on site;
  • introduction of new production approaches to farming in Cumbria and as a result the development of a new market place (in the past such projects included; pink veal, rare breed meat, farmed deer, free range egg production on hill farms);
  • conversion of existing buildings (and in exceptional circumstances construct new buildings) to provide workspace for new and/or expanding business;
  • introduction of innovative use of farm land and premises to provide for visitors and/or local people (past projects included quad biking courses, ‘glamping’, short rotation coppice, ‘care’ farms);
  • engagement with businesses beyond the farm but linked with rural service or ecosystem service provision.

Applicants must demonstrate how their project will provide economic growth and job creation opportunities. For every £25,000 of grant, applicants must be able to create at least 1 new full-time equivalent sustainable job.

The call seeks to encourage applications that provide higher quality or better tailored products to add value and exploit new product opportunitiesthat demonstrate significant increases in gross value added (GVA) and which avoid displacement of other businesses and activity.

Applications are also encouraged which create wider benefits for the local community and economy. Projects can demonstrate how they create wider benefits for the local community and economy through:

  • The introduction of ‘green’ technology creating a significant saving in business running costs and/or which moves the business towards a recognised environmental accreditation;
  • Creation of higher value jobs (in excess of £25,000 p.a.);
  • Creation of employment for young people and disadvantaged groups;
  • Use and promotion of local suppliers including food and drink.

Examples of types of investments include the:

  • development of infrastructure such as workshops, factories, facilities - costs of construction or improvement to immovable property;
  • purchase of equipment and machinery;
  • processing and marketing of non-agricultural and agricultural products;
  • general costs associated with project such as fees, intangible items including acquisition or development of bespoke computer software;
  • acquisition of patents, licenses, copyrights and trademarks.

2.2.Geographical Scope

All activities are confined to activity and benefit occurring in the Cumbria Fells and Dales Local Action Group geographical area. A list of eligible wards is available on the CFD website ( If you are unsure, please check with the CFD LAG Team.

2.3.Total Funding Available

The total grant funding available for this callis £350,000. Funding will be offered about 20 projects, but the actual number of projects supported may be lower or higher, depending upon the quality, scale and range of the projects coming forward. All applications are competitive.

Projects should be for a maximum of three years; however, the LAG reserves the right to vary the maximum duration if required.

2.4.Size of grants available

Grants will be available for this call from £2,500 up to €200,000 (approximately £172,000 at current exchange rates). State aid rules will apply which may affect the amount of grant offered. Further details on state aid rules are available from gov.uk.

Applicants can apply for a grant to cover up to 40% of the project’s eligible costs. The minimum total eligible cost of a project for this call would therefore be £6,250.

Higher grant rates are available for investments which are non-profit making operations that will not generate an economic gain. However, the operations should be able to demonstrate sustainability after the grant period.

2.5.Call Deadlines

This is an open callwith fixed assessment points at 3 monthly intervals depending on availability of remaining funds.

  1. Outputs to be delivered

Applicants need to show how their project will contribute to the achievement of the following outputs:

  1. New full time equivalent jobs created (1 full time equivalent = 30 paid hours per week per year on average)
  2. Number of holdings supported
  3. Increase in GVA (Gross Value Added) of grant aided business.

Applicants will need to be able to demonstrate how they will deliver the outputs committed to within the proposal along with any methodology used. All projects will be required to collect evidence to show that outputs have been achieved and report progress with each claim. Further details on the evidence required are available through your LAG contact.

  1. How to apply

There are two stages to the application process. These are:

  • Stage 1: an outline application
  • Stage 2: a full application

Further details on how to apply for a grant are given in the LEADER Applicant Handbook which is downloadable from the Cumbria Fells and Dales website ( along with a template of the Outline Application Form.

We strongly recommend that all respondents in the first instance contact the Cumbria Fells and Dales Team on . We can advise you as to whether we think your project idea fits with the Programme’s priorities and whether you are in an eligible area and are an eligible applicant. We can also give you advice about completing your outline application.However it is your responsibility as potential Applicant to decide whether or not you are ready to submit an Outline Application Form and all work to this end is undertaken entirely at your own risk.

An applicant will only be invited to submit a full application if their outline application is successful.

Work must not start on any part of the proposed project before the applicant has received and signed a grant funding agreement from Cumbria County Council. This includes ordering or paying a deposit on materials or equipment.

  1. General Information

Please refer to the LEADER Applicant Handbook for general information on eligibility, publicity and procurement requirements etc. The LEADER Applicant Handbook is available to download from our website ( We strongly recommend you read this in detail. As an approved project penalties may be enforced for non-compliance with RDPE requirements.

  1. Submitting Applications

The completed outline application form, in the approved template, should be sent to the stated deadline. The LAG Team will email to confirm that they have received it.

  • Handwritten outline applications or non-Excel compatible formats will be returned to you.
  • If an agent is submitting an application on your behalf the agent must ensure you, the applicant, is copied into the submission. Failure to do so will mean the application is returned to you.
  • If a ‘non-compliant’ submission is made then re-submission is only possible if this is within the specific call deadlines.
  • If an application is submitted after an official deadline it will not be considered at this point but at a future deadline should there be one.

A decision on whether or not you are to be invited to submit a full application,or feedback as to why a decision has not yet been reached, will normally be communicated to you within 20 working days.

  1. Future Calls

Further calls for projects will be made in coming months. Details will be released on our website ( as to when these are likely to be open and the types of projects that these calls will cover.

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