Grow South Antrim

GROW South Antrim Launch

£8.9million Funding Boost for Rural South Antrim

Friday 13^th turned out to be a positive day for rural South Antrim as GROW South Antrim celebrated its official launch and the commencement of the Rural Development Programme in Carrickfergus Town Hall. 

Speaking at the event, Gareth Evans, Axis 3 Measure Manager from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said, "The Rural Development Programme provides opportunities for significant investment in rural areas as well as encouraging individuals and organisations to work together to enhance and improve the lives of all those living in rural communities.  I have been very encouraged by the progress and co-operation shown by Antrim, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey Borough Councils and it is to their credit that they have made such good progress in the delivery of the RDP."

GROW has been allocated a total budget of £8,890,899 to invest in rural South Antrim across a wide rage of projects including farm diversification, business creation, tourism, basic services, village renewal, conservation and upgrading the rural heritage.

Chair of the GROW Local Action Group, Vera McWilliam, explains, "The Local Action Group are made up of local people representing business, community, agriculture, council and statutory sectors, so it is very much a case of local people making decisions for the local area.  Funding is available under a wide-range of themes, offering excellent opportunities to those living and working in rural areas to shape their future and tackle the challenges which face rural-dwellers.  We look forward to supporting projects and investing in the local communities to make a real difference to the quality of life in rural South Antrim, especially in these difficult economic times.  The key message is that by investing together, we can grow together."

Mayor of Carrickfergus and Statutory Joint Committee Member, Ald Patricia McKinney, commented, "I am delighted to announce that the GROW partnership has been allocated approximately £8.9million to deliver 6 measures of the rural development programme in our area.  We look forward to this current programme, which offers a wide-reaching suite of activities and a significant budget to develop rural enterprises and communities through to 2013 and beyond." 

If you are a farmer, a member of a farm family, rural business, community organisation or rural dweller with a development idea, GROW South Antrim is currently open for Expressions of Interest, so please contact the GROW office or or check out the 'How to Apply' section of the website to download an Expression of Interest form.

Date Posted: 13 Feb 2009