Businesses from across Cherwell are being urged by the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) to sign up to the launch of the new Cherwell Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) Business Grant Scheme – set to take place on Monday 21st October, from 10am until 12pm.

The grant scheme is being delivered by OxLEP Business, with funding for the scheme having been made available through Cherwell District Council’s Rural England Prosperity Fund allocation.

The introduction of the grant scheme follows OxLEP Business also recently launching, on behalf of the district council, two business support programmes for Cherwell-based individuals and businesses.

The Cherwell Business Accelerator backs existing small and medium-sized businesses, ready to scale-up and expand their operations. Meanwhile, the Cherwell Business Spark programme has been designed to work with those entrepreneurs based in the area with a new business idea, or for those who have recently started trading.

The new grant scheme will see funding – expected to range between £5,000 and £20,000 – to be available per application, with the scheme operating within a competitive, two-stage application process.

The application process will be available through an online portal to be managed by OxLEP Business.

OxLEP Business and Cherwell District Council expects up to 64 eligible businesses to apply to the grant scheme – with significant interest having already being shown in the initiative.

The grant scheme launch is set to support those with an interest in applying for funding to find out more. It will also help attendees to gain guidance on how to apply, as well as understanding just how decisions around the allocation of grants will be made.

The scheme will be looking to support capital investments in the following priority sectors:

• Retail, serving the local community
• Farm diversification (non-agricultural)
• Food and drink production
• Hospitality and leisure
• Manufacturing

Successful applicants will also be expected to deliver tangible outcomes aligned to several ‘delivery themes’, including:

• Business retention and growth
• Green economy
• Investment in rural communities
• Strengthening the rural economy and rural communities

Provisional key dates following the launch webinar are as follows:

• 4 November (5pm) – grant expression of interest closes
• 14 November – full application window opens
• 25 November (12 noon) – submission deadline for final applications

Helen Brind – Growth Hub Manager at OxLEP Business – said: “Working with Cherwell District Council, we are delighted to be launching a new grant scheme that can make a hugely positive impact on the area’s rural economy and – in turn – leverage several key sectors too.

“We expect such new, critical grant support to be embraced hugely and accessed heavily in the coming weeks – therefore, we would encourage those interested to join our launch webinar next week and find out more on how the funding could be utilised within respective businesses. This is too good an opportunity for the district’s rural businesses to miss out on.”

Given the specific rural aspect of the new fund, both OxLEP Business and Cherwell District Council are keen to ensure businesses still access other top-class support available through the Cherwell Business Spark and Cherwell Business Accelerator programmes – business help that can also have a major and real, positive impact.

Helen added: “Working with our partners at the district council, we want to ensure as many businesses as possible can access top-quality business support – therefore, if it transpires that a particular business does not meet the grant scheme’s eligibility criteria, we would very much encourage people to find out more about our Accelerator and Spark programmes, both offering comprehensive business support packages for business leaders and entrepreneurs.

“Of course, we would also encourage those who are eligible for the grant scheme – who are yet to engage with our Cherwell Business Spark or Cherwell Business Accelerator programmes – to find out more too and see if we can support their business ambitions through our wider ongoing provision.”

Councillor Lesley McLean – Deputy Leader of Cherwell District Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources – said: “Our rural communities are an important part of our economy in Cherwell, and I am thrilled that businesses based in these areas will be able to access support to help them flourish. 

“Rural businesses are the lifeblood of their communities and having the opportunity to grow will strengthen our rural economy and help everyone who works in it thrive.  

“We are delighted to be able to support this through our Rural England Prosperity Fund and wholeheartedly encourage businesses to take advantage of this opportunity.” 

OxLEP Business – who operate as the ‘Growth Hub’ for businesses in the county – are also keen to express their support for businesses across the whole of Oxfordshire, with a bespoke ‘Business Support Action Plan’ on offer to all, on receipt of filling out the ‘Business Support Tool’ on the OxLEP Business website.

Sign up to the Cherwell Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) launch webinar