Rural UK businesses could potentially benefit from £35m worth of government funding to create new jobs, boost tourism, and unlock growth in less populated areas.

This figure could be increased to £50m if there are enough applications meeting the expectations.

The government’s Growth Programme provides grants for rural startups and businesses to purchase state-of-art equipment and machinery to grow their business or open up opportunities for tourism.

So far, the scheme has granted £99m to 546 local businesses across England, creating 3,771 new jobs in rural areas.

For instance, in Sheffield, the farmers behind the brand ‘Our Cow Molly’ secured a grant of over £160k to invest in a new processing unit, which allowed them to produce higher quality fresh milk and ice cream - creating six new jobs.

Read more at: Bdaily and gov.uk for information on how to apply.

Potential Cheshire West and Chester based projects can e-mail business@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk for further support and advice.