Following a successful first round of funding last year Somerset Council is encouraging businesses and organisations to find out if they are eligible for a grant from the UK Government’s Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF).

The first round saw a wide range of small rural businesses in Somerset apply for a grant. To date funding is being used on projects including bottling equipment for a cider manufacturer to increase efficiency; extending premises to provide additional capacity to maintain electric vehicles; ice-cream manufacturing equipment to increase capacity and specialist animal health equipment for a new vet’s practice.

The second round is now open and Somerset Council have allocated £2.5m which must be spent by the end of March 2025. Projects can apply for grants between £5,000 and £100,000 as long as they are able to meet the outputs and objectives of the programme and can provide match funding.

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