News
A derelict farm building has been transformed into a high quality farm shop and café - with local schoolchildren the first customers to taste its wares on its opening day.
Cavil Head Farm near Acklington Village received over £177,000 through One North East’s Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) programme to transform the farm buildings as part of a long term aim to create a leisure and holiday centre in rural Northumberland.
The new shop features an on-site butcher, ice-cream parlour, coffee shop and large children’s play area, sampled by pupils from Acklington First School to mark the official opening of the attraction.
Twelve jobs have been created and around 30 local businesses are being supported by selling locally-grown products such as vegetables and dairy products from other existing rural producers.
The owners of Warkworth Farm bought Cavil Head Farm around 18 months ago and General Manager Neil Cox, said: “RDPE support has been essential in taking our plans forward and we are thrilled to see the farm shop open as we start to transform the farm into a small leisure and holiday centre.
“The farm specialises in wheat, oil seed rape and potatoes but as there were a number of derelict pre-1900 buildings we seized the opportunity to diversify the farm and make this a successful business with knock-on effects for neighbouring businesses and also create new jobs.
“We are pleased to welcome pupils from Acklington First School as our first official customers and hope they enjoy the new play area and of course our ice-cream.”
Work is now being planned for the second phase of development at the working tenanted arable farm, which includes transforming further disused farm buildings into holiday let homes.
One North East’s RDPE Manager Adrian Sherwood, said: “Diversification at this farm will help secure its own future as well as provide far-reaching benefits to local producers who are supplying the farm, bringing a welcome boost to the local economy.
“The shop stocks local products that not only guarantee traceability and high quality but seasonal products involve no air miles and offer good value for money to the local economy.”
The RDPE Business and Community Assets programme is being delivered by Northumberland County Council through their Rural Projects Development Fund.
Andy Dean, Head of Regeneration at Northumberland County Council, said: “This is a real success story for all concerned. I’m delighted that the project received funding through the Rural Development Programme which has enabled it to move forward from an initial proposal to actual completion. The shop, café and play area will be a great asset for the area.”
The Rural Development Programme for England 2007-2013 is jointly funded by Defra and the European Union, and is managed in North East England by One North East, Natural England and the Forestry Commission.
The RDPE investment being managed by One North East combines larger projects to help many businesses in different sectors of the rural economy - including bioenergy and land-based skills, and projects adding value to agricultural and forestry products - with smaller investments to help individual businesses to start-up, grow or diversify, and support to develop more sustainable rural communities.
RDPE Business Support is part of Solutions for Business, the Government’s package of publicly funded support products offering help to companies to start, grow and succeed. Solutions for Business makes it easier for companies to get the advice and assistance that they need.
For further information on the full package of support, visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/northeast or call Tel: 0845 600 9006.
For more information on RDPE in North East England, visit: www.rdpenortheast.co.uk
For more information on RDPE, visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/rurdev/index_en.htm
http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/rdpe/index.htm
Ends.
For more information about the RDPE funding, contact Alison Laggan (press office) on 0191 229 6613 or email alison.laggan@onenortheast.co.uk.
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