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The Rural Development Service (RDS) in the North East has teamed up with Business Link County Durham to offer free advice sessions at two of the region's top agricultural shows.

A mobile resource centre, with meeting room and internet access, will be visiting Wolsingham and Egglestone shows next month (September) to offer free advice to farmers and others with a business idea for rural areas.

A Rural Development Adviser from RDS North East will be on hand to discuss ideas for new businesses or farm diversifications and the range of support available through Defra's England Rural Development Programme (ERDP), which is delivered by the Rural Development Service (RDS).

A Business Link adviser will also be available to offer general business advice and information about the help and support available for North East companies.

Ken Haynes, an adviser for the Rural Development Service North East, said:

"Within ERDP there are eight separate, integrated schemes that aim to help protect and improve the countryside, develop sustainable enterprises and to help rural communities to thrive.

"Encouraging and supporting rural businesses is a key part of our work and one of the key schemes operating within ERDP to assist farmers and others is the Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES), which offers grant support to a range of projects. The Vocational Training Scheme (VTS) also offers support for farmers wanting to learn new skills, some of which are linked to RES projects, to help long-term viability of their businesses and raise skill levels in rural areas.

"Last year we awarded RES grants totalling more than £2.45 million to support a wide range of innovative projects and RES funding has assisted thousands of North East farmers in diversification projects, helping to create over 200 new jobs and safeguard around 380 existing jobs.

"We also awarded more than £70,000 to VTS projects around the region to provide a wide range of training opportunities. And this means that we now have more than 320 people who have accessed training with the help of VTS.

"Many farmers have already proved they have the imagination, drive and determination to diversify, ensuring a successful and sustainable future for their farm businesses and we're keen to support more innovative business ideas from farmers. By taking these free advice sessions out to the shows we hope to reach more farmers and other rural businessmen and women and we're delighted to be working with Business Link to achieve this."

Carol Groombridge, Communications Manager for Business Link County Durham, said:

"Business Link is delighted to be working in partnership with the RDS. This is an ideal opportunity as our mobile office unit allows us to reach out to all businesses in County Durham and in particular those in rural parts. Running a business in the countryside, whether a farm or other rural-based enterprise, can present many opportunities and challenges where Business Link can offer support."

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