WIREDGOV

At a time when redundancies in rural areas have increased by some 128%*, the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) is reminding rural villages across the UK that there are now only four weeks left to submit an application to take part in Village SOS - a new funding scheme from the Big Lottery Fundin partnership with BBC One.

Village SOS aims to help revive these village communities, many of which are feeling the affects of the recession including local job losses and the closure of local amenities. Village SOS funding will be awarded to six rural village communities and the search is also on for six enterprising and visionary individuals to become ‘Village Champions’ and work with the villages to help achieve their ambitions of starting a successful rural business.

To be in with a chance of receiving up to £400,000 Lottery funding, those with a great business idea - from retailing to the arts or even a new tourist attraction, need to be living in a village of three thousand people or less and have lots of enthusiasm. Prospective Village Champions will need to show a commitment and determination to instil change and spark a rural revival. The deadline for applications, for rural villages and Village Champions alike, is Friday 14 August. Information on how to apply can be found at bbc.co.uk/villagesos

A good example of the positive changes brought about by a community coming together includes the Appledore Visual Arts Festival in North Devon. The small fishing village of Appledore has put itself on the map by developing the annual Appledore Visual Arts Festival. Established in 1997 it was the first visual arts festival in the country. It attracts many visitors which also benefits local business including shops and pubs. Artist Sandy Brown helped to establish the festival and Lord David Puttnam is Patron. Appledore Visual Arts has been able to build on its success and now also carries out year long projects and community based art projects in the belief that the arts can enhance and regenerate communities.

Another good example is The Handmade Bakery in Marsden, West Yorkshire. This is a not-for-profit community supported bakery that makes organic bread from local ingredients. It developed following the closure of two bakeries, which had left Marsden without a bakery for some years. Bread is baked in a local Italian restaurant and sold to subscribers, distributed through a local pub. The co-operative also runs an education project, teaching people how to make bread and about social enterprise.

In November, eighteen villages will be shortlisted and offered a development grant of up to £10,000. They will also choose a Village Champion to work with to advance their ideas. In May 2010, six projects will be awarded Lottery funding of up to £400,000 and their respective Village Champions will move into the villages for a year to help them turn their business idea into a reality.

A BBC One series that is scheduled to air in Winter 2010will follow the stories of the six new rural enterprises and their Village Champions from start up to trading. The six-part series promises to be gripping entertainment for viewers as they follow the ups and downs as the Champion moves into the village, and the villagers start work on the business.

The TV series will be presented by Sarah Willingham (of BBC2 show The Restaurant) who grew famed Indian catering chain The Bombay Bicycle Club into a hugely lucrative catering business.

Sarah Willingham said: “Village SOS is a fantastic opportunityfor enterprising individuals who are looking for a new challenge. There's the cushion of a salary of £30,000 so although they'll be taking a risk in uprooting themselves and moving to a new village, they're not going to be without an income. Potentially, the rewards are fantastic in terms of a change of lifestyle, and the chance to launch a new business. And they can make a real difference to a rural community, bringing in new jobs and new hope. So get those applications in before it is too late!”

Sir Clive Booth, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund, said: "Time is running out for the UK’s rural communities to apply for a slice of Village SOS funding and for the chance to work with successful entrepreneurs to develop their ideas – so apply now!

“Village SOS also hopes to make a positive difference in the long term and alongside the BBC One series will be a major learning campaign**. It will help other villages use the learning and enthusiasm from the programme to start a new business that could regenerate their own communities."

Photos and examples of community businesses across the UK are available. For more information please contact the BIG Press Office.

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572

BBC Wales Communications: Jenny Walford:  029 2032 2373

Village SOS public enquiries: 0844 88 88 677
Textphone:  0845 6021 659

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Photos Available:

A professional origamist adds the finishing touches to a rural village made out of English, Northern Irish and Scottish pound notes made to celebrate the launch of Village SOS. The model took three days to create and was made with notes totalling more than £20,000. After being photographed, the model was dismantled and the money returned to the bank.

Notes to Editors

• * Figures taken from Rural Economies Recession Intelligence report conducted by the Commission for Rural Communities (February 2009) http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/files/recessionreport4-2.pdf 
• The 2001 census showed that just over 9.5 million people live in rural areas in England
• (representing 19.4% of the total population of just over 49 million).
• New Economics Foundation estimates that 300 rural shops in Britain close every year.
• The Countryside Agency estimates that 7 out of 10 villages in England no longer have a shop.
• 13 rural pubs close each week. Source: British Beer and Pub Association – http://www.beerandpub.com 
• Eighteen villages will be shortlisted in November to receive a development grant of up to £10,000, and will choose a ‘Village Champion’ to work with to advance their ideas. In May 2010 six projects will be awarded Lottery funding of up to £400,000 and their respective Village Champions will move into the villages for a year to help them turn their business idea into a reality. Village SOS aims to make six awards - three in England and one each in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
• BBC Wales will follow the stories of the six new rural enterprises from start up to trading for a major BBC One series in Winter 2010. **Details of how other villages will be able to use the learning and enthusiasm from the programme will follow later in the year.
• As a Village Champion you will be employed for a minimum of one year from May 2010, by community-owned village businesses, in manufacturing, retail, tourism, design - anything from a music festival to an online jewellery design business, from a surf shop to a heritage centre. The six successful new businesses will be filmed from start-up to trading for a primetime BBC ONE series. Villages will recruit their own Village Champions from a pool shortlisted by the BBC and Make Your Mark, part of the charity Enterprise Insight. Whatever your skills, you may be just the person a village needs! If you have entrepreneurial flair, a record of running a successful business or project, and the desire to live and work in a rural village, apply now! For further details go to bbc.co.uk/villagesos
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £23 billion has now been raised and more than 317,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
• Make Your Mark is the campaign to increase entrepreneurial behaviour in the UK - encouraging people to have ideas and make them happen. Make Your Mark is run by Enterprise Insight, a Company Ltd by Guarantee and a Registered Charity (Registered Charity number 1127187). It was founded by the four leading UK business membership organisations - the British Chambers of Commerce, the CBI, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Institute of Directors - and their Director Generals sit on its board, which is chaired by BBC Dragon Peter Jones. It is supported by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and endorsed by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Best known for running Make Your Mark with a Tenner and Global Entrepreneurship Week (16-22 November). www.makeyourmark.org.uk Follow us on twitter @makeyourmark @hannahbourne (Head of Communications). For more information contact PR Manager Ochuko Adekoya on 020 7430 8028 ochuko@makeyourmark.org.uk