Conwy European Team Newsletter

N
February 2015
www.conwy.gov.uk/europe
Welcome to Conwy’s European Team
Newsletter
Welcome to the sixth edition of the European
Team Newsletter. This bi-annual newsletter
will contain the latest information about
European Funding in Conwy.
How can Conwy Specialist
European Team help you?
We can provide support to
Council departments, private or
third sector organisations
undertaking projects funded by
European funds, by providing:

Funding news is brought to you by the Conwy
Specialist European Team (SET)
Here you will find the most up to date information
about EU Funding programmes relevant to Conwy,
an update on the progress of key projects making an
impact locally and a brief outline of the funding
opportunities available from various sources.
Funding news is split into sections to help you find
the information you’re interested in easier. The
funding categories are featured below:
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EU Funding News
Convergence
External Funding
Rural Development
Tendering
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General advice on EU
and other funding
opportunities
Technical support on
developing EU
applications and
managing EU projects
and contracts
Information about
international and
European developments
and opportunities
Please contact:
Barbara Burchell,
Principal European Officer
01492 576011
or
Sara Hobson
European Projects Manager
01492 574529
Issue 6
Conwy European
Team
Newsletter
EU Funding News
European Union (EU) Funding 2014-2020 Update
The European Structural Fund Programmes 2014 – 2020 was approved by the
European Commission and launched by the Finance and Government Business Minister,
Jane Hutt in December 2014. The approval of £804 million of European Social Fund (ESF) and
£1.1 billion of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) brings the total of EU Structural Funding
investment for Wales to nearly £2 billion. The 2014-2020 ESF and ERDF programmes will help to create an
environment which will support and underpin economic growth and jobs.
The Operational Programme guidance has been released by WEFO, and the funding categories are:
ERDF
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Research and Innovation
SME Competitiveness
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Connectivity and Urban Development
ESF
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Tackling Poverty through Sustainable Employment
Skills for Growth
Youth Employment and Attainment
The European and External Funding Team are currently working on developing a number of projects.
Convergence Funding 2007 – 2013 Update
Key Facts…
Convergence Funding is the highest level of European Structural Funding support
afforded to the most deprived regions of the European Union.
In Wales, the West Wales and the Valleys region has qualified for Convergence as its
economic performance (measured as GDP) fell below 75% of the EU average.
It is a programme designed to give direct support to stimulate economic development in
under-performing economies.
The programme comprises funding from two separate European Structural Funds – the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF).
As at 31 January 2015, 290 projects had been approved, amounting to a total project investment of
£3.7 billion across Wales.
EU projects have already assisted 575,702 participants, of which 190,352 have been supported to
gain qualifications and 62,333 helped into work. In addition, 30,415 jobs and 10,435 enterprises have
been created.
Achievements in Conwy...
Enterprises
assisted
(ERDF)
Enterprises
created
(ERDF)
Gross jobs
created
(ERDF)
Participants
(ESF)
Participants
entering
employment
(ESF)
Participants
entering further
learning (ESF)
Participants
gaining
qualifications
(ESF)
617
237
853
20,572
1,353
1,214
7,000
(Source: Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) Website. Figures at 31 January 2015)
The Cyfenter Fund, launched in 2012 and provides financial investment of up to £75,000 to new and
developing Social Enterprises to deliver new products or services. Such investment is aimed at creating
services that meet unmet community needs or address market failure, and assist enterprises in achieving their
potential as viable and sustainable businesses in the economy of North West Wales. Funding for the £4 million
project has been provided through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the local authorities
of Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire and Gwynedd.
Since its launch, the Cyfenter Fund has assisted almost 50 Social Enterpirses in delivering new services
across North West Wales. Projects include community shops, tourism initiatives, elderly and domiciliary care
services, recycling and reuse enterprises, the transfer of assets such as leisure and community centres from
local authorities to community enterprise. Sectors supported include social care, leisure, education and
learning and environmental services. Current Cyfenter funding ends in 2015, with the aim being to secure
additional funding to enable future investments to be made in the Social Enterprise sector.
In the spotlight.....
Cyfenter funding has been used to establish Draig Tex, a
consortium led by CREST Co-operative, which together
with Antur Waunfawr and Seren Cyf has set up a textile
sorting and exporting facility in Mochdre, Colwyn Bay.
Crest Co-operative, Antur Waunfawr and Seren Cyf are all
established Social Enterprises delivering re-use and
recycling services, supporting people with learning
difficulties within local communities.
(01492) 596 783 www.draigtex.com
Draig Tex was opened in May 2014 and is the first social enterprise led clothing expert in Wales. Draig Tex is
set to give the economy a much needed boost and the new venture which has been developed by a
consortium of three North Wales social enterprises, has already created seven jobs.
Crest Co-operative, Seren Ffestiniog Cyf and Antur Waunfawr all teamed up to open Draig Tex which was
officialy launched by the First Minister of Welsh Government (Carwyn Jones AM) on 18th September 2014.
Outdoor Tourism is an INTERREG IVA project that received €1,368,335.00 from the European Regional
Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Cross Border programme and €456,112.00 match-funding from
the six partners in Ireland and Wales. The project will run until December 2014.
Following a meeting with Sailing Clubs in Conwy, Conwy Watersports Group has developed into an established group
with members covering all areas of the sailing and watersports sectors in Conwy which include sailing and yacht clubs,
commercial organisations, sea cadets and educational establishments. The aim of the group is to promote Sailing and
Watersports in Conwy and the group have taken the first step by working together to build a comprehensive publication
that highlights the places to go to sail in Conwy. The publication which is due to be distributed through to accommodation
providers, tourism information officers and other publically accessed centres will provide more information on this amazing
and surprisingly easy sport to get into. The publication is due to be finalised shortly, for a copy of the publication please
contact clare.sharples@conwy.gov.uk
Angling has a large potential for growth within the County bringing both economic and wellbeing benefits to the area.
Following discussions with the captains of the Men’s and Women’s Shore Angling teams an invitation was extended for
the Outdoor Tourism team to attend the 2013 World Championships to canvas the possibility of bringing the World
Championships to Conwy – the first time it will have been held in Wales! The project supported officers to attend and
meet the captains of the 14 counties attending which included representatives from Spain, Portugal, Tunisia and Brazil!.
Officers had the opportunity to discuss the potential with the Chair of the Committee and also had the opportunity to meet
the Spanish Minister for Sport as well as appearing on the Local TV channel promoting the area and the hopes to bring
the Championships to the Welsh Shores. It was a fantastic result when we were awarded the 2018 World Championships
which is calculated will bring approximately 700-800k in economic benefit to the area.
The Outdoor Toursim team have been involved in a number of events by providing activity taster opportunities such as the
All Wales Boatshow, Prom Xtra and the Mountain Trail Championships. While also adding value to the event it has also
provided the opportunity for the public to try their hand at various activities including: climbing walls, mountain biking,
sailing and windsurfing, yachting, kayaking and ziplines courses. At the recent All Wales Boatshow, the Outdoor Tourism
project also offered the local Activity Providers free trade space to promote their activities and the variety of activities that
are on offer here in Conwy as well as a Marine Careers day bringing speakers from different sectors of the marine
industry from Super Yachts, Merchant Navy to Marine Science and Conservation as well as an opportunity to try out some
skills with Llandrillo College as they promoted their marine courses. For information on the All Wales Boatshow contact:
Davina Carey-Evans (Sbarc) davina@sbarc.net or to register your event go to ‘get listed’ tab on the Visit Conwy Website:
http://www.visitllandudno.org.uk/events
Disability Skiing Wales Club, Llandudno have just held a launch of becoming a Centre of Excellence. The project provided
coaching support for the club volunteer instructors. Pete Harris spokesperson from the Club says “you were so
instrumental in our development. The project also arranged a series of taster sessions and development programmes
with Ysgol Gogarth, it built confidence and ability to enable some of the pupils to attend a ski holiday organised by the
school and also following the development programme a number of pupils have since joined the club and continued with
the activity. Contact details for more information: Peter Harris (Disability Skiing Wales): 07854 972660
pete.harris@gmx.com Nicola Davies (Ysgol Gogarth): 07879 621705 nicola.davies@gogarth.conwy.sch.uk
EXTERNAL FUNDING UPDATE
Key Facts…
Conwy qualifies for four INTERREG programmes:
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INTERREG IVA - Wales Ireland – aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion by
promoting international and cross-border co-operation.
INTERREG IVB – North West Europe – aims to capitalise on the cooperation between key
areas to address territorial issues across the North West Europe area. This is in order to
contribute to the NWE’s economic competitiveness while equally promoting regionally
balanced and sustainable development.
INTERREG IVB - Atlantic Area - aims to achieve significant and tangible progress in
transnational cooperation geared towards cohesive, sustainable and balanced territorial
development of the Atlantic Area and its maritime heritage.
INTERREG IVC - aims to bring together regional and local authorities from different
countries in projects to exchange and transfer their experiences in regional policy and jointly
improve and develop regional policy approaches and instruments.
INTERREG V Draft Programme documents will soon to be out for consultation.
Other European Funding Programmes that are available in Conwy include:
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ERASMUS + 2014-2020 - this includes what was the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP),
Youth and Sports Programmes
LIFE+
European Fisheries Fund (EFF)
Europe for Citizens
Creative Europe
National Funding Programmes are also available, especially from the Big Lottery and the Welsh
Government.
Further Information
For further information about external funding,
Please contact:
Sara Hobson
Tel: 01492 574529
Email: sara.hobson@conwy.gov.uk
Rural Development Plan (RDP)
Rural Development Plan in Conwy
We’re now in the final months of the current Rural Development Plan in Conwy,
and we have witnessed many successful projects coming to fruition as a result of the
support and funding we’ve secured for the rural area. We’ve seen new business
start-ups, established businesses expanding and flourishing, innovative developments
in forestry and farming and renewable energy, Naturally Conwy Valley – a local
food and drink labelling initiative, and exciting tourism developments. We’ve also
seen community groups grow and strengthen as they become empowered to change
their future for the better. Hundreds of people have received funding for training to
increase their own personal potential too.
Thanks to the hard work of the RDP team in Llanrwst, the voluntary members of the Rural
Partnership and all the people in the rural area who have come forward, we’ve delivered literally
thousands of projects and achieved so much.
A new Local Development Strategy has just been submitted to the Welsh Government and we look
forward to bringing you news of the next Rural Development Plan for Conwy soon.
Here are the stories of a few of the projects that have been supported. You can find more on our
website - www.ruralconwy.org.uk.
Rural Development Plan brings local food and drink producers together under new brand
“Naturally Conwy Valley”
Naturally Conwy Valley, the local food and drink brand for rural Conwy, was developed in 2013 under RDP’s
Conwy Cynhaliol project, to promote the diverse and numerous producers inthe area. The brand boasts five
bakeries, three breweries, two butchers and numerous farms producing food such as chorizo, veal, organic
fruit and of course the beef and lamb the region is famous for.
The project has organised two food ‘showcases’ (third planned for Autumn 2014) affording participating
producers the opportunity to meet potential business customers in a relaxed environment, whilst enjoying
sample menus of local food devised, cooked and served by staff and students at Coleg Llandrillo’s Orme View
Restaurant at the Rhos on Sea campus.
Naturally Conwy Valley also sponsored the
inaugural 2014 Conwy Business Awards,
where once again a three course meal was
enjoyed by all who attended. Later in 2014,
efforts focussed on engaging the sizeable
local hospitality sector as a potential market
for rural Conwy’s food and drink, with
previous research concluding that there is
significant interest in ‘buying local’ amongst
general managers and chefs. This summer
the RDP team also took Naturally Conwy
Valley out to Egwlysbach, Llanrwst and
Cerrigydrudion shows in a Local Produce
Market marquee with cooking demonstrations
using locally produced food and drink that
was also on sale to visitors.
The Rural Development Plan has meant working together for the good of all
Conwy Rural Partnership are leading a group of 4 counties to develop and support
beekeeping in North Wales. Honey bees are important pollinators and their decline and
the implications of this for both agricultural crops and native flora are of increasing concern.
Honey bees face threats from pesticides, degraded habitats, invasive species and genetic dilution.
A lot of bee friendly planting has been undertaken on public land, training courses in
beekeeping have been established, bee information days at Ty Hyll are ongoing and
Snowdonia National Park Authority are mentoring young farmers in beekeeping
and good practice for protecting & supporting pollinators.
The most recent initiative in this programme is “On your Knees for Bees” – on Friday 17th October children in
over 200 schools across the four counties will be getting on their knees for bees planting bluebells and other
wildflowers. Iolo Williams will be visiting some of them to see how they get on.
Beekeeping Associations across the area are also working with novice and trainee beekeepers to share their
knowledge and skills and provide training courses.
Conwy Rural Partnership under the Rural Development Plan has supported training in
everything from acrylic nails to food hygiene, tree climbing to yoga
Sam Whitley of Bodhi Movement is a remedial and sports massage
therapist based at Plas y Brenin. She found she was often
recommending yoga to her clients to complement the therapy she
was giving but found it hard to recommend yoga instructors in the
area. Through the Sustainable Conwy Training programme, Sam
has now completed her training and now offers yoga classes as a
core part of her business.
Joshua Cook is a forestry worker who has received support for a
number of different training courses through Sustainable Conwy.
Most recently he has passed a tree climbing course so he can now
work in the canopy of large trees undertaking crown reductions and
similar work. This has opened up many more work opportunities for
Joshua and has extended his working season too as there is work he
can do when the felling season is over in Spring when the trees start
to bud and the birds begin to nest. Joshua also won Trainee of the
Year Award at the Conwy Business Awards this year.
Heather Bakewell runs the HNB salon in the Waterloo Hotel in Betws
y Coed. She identified a demand for new acrylic nails and, thanks to
support under the Rural Development Plan has now been trained and
is able to offer this additional service to her clients which is proving
very popular.
The Conwy Valley Rotary Club applied for funding to help them put a
group of their members through food hygiene training. This has
enabled them to have a pool of people qualified to prepare and serve
food at their events, enabling them to raise more funds for the work
they do in the area.
Community pavilion build underway
Work is almost complete on Menter Nefydd’s new Community Pavilion in
Llannefydd, the fruits of years of hard work by the charity.
With funding from Conwy Rural Partnership’s Conwy Cynhaliol project administered by
Conwy County Borough Council, WREN, Sports Wales, Cartrefi Conwy and also locally
raised, the whole project represents a significant achievement and a long term
community asset in the village and wider area.
R.L. Davies and Son Ltd of Llysfaen were appointed in April to construct the timber
facility with work set to be completed by September 2014. Composite panels are
being used for the build with the structure being largely manufactured in a workshop
and then assembled on site.
Beryl Morris, treasurer of the Menter Nefydd committee said, “We are very excited that work has
finally begun on the pavilion and can’t wait for it to be completed”. “It will be a huge asset to the area
providing a much needed facility to strengthen the community”.
Conwy Cynhaliol project manager Stuart Whitfield said “The Rural Development Plan is all about
increasing the sustainability of rural communities and this project is clearly going to support
Llannefydd well into the future”.
“Funding aside, the project would never be realised without hard work and commitment from the
Menter Nefydd committee. Getting to this stage has been no mean feat”.
Rural development has meant renewal for villages
Play time in Capel Garmon
The playground in Capel Garmon was little used and offered little of interest to local children until the
Community Council applied to the Conwy Rural Partnership Village Renewal Key Fund for a grant to update
the equipment and provide a fence to make the playground more secure for younger children.
The playground is now a hive of activity – at least half the school are there most days on sunny afternoons,
parents meet up there, children have birthday parties there, Ti a Fi meet there – it has changed family life in
the village and had a positive impact on all of the children in the area.
Village Halls at the Heart of the Community
Several village halls in rural Conwy have had repairs or refurbishments under the Rural Development Plan.
Here are just two examples of how vital these community facilities are and it’s fitting that Conwy Rural
Partnership has been able to support so many like these that are in the heart of the community.
During the severe floods of November 2012, the Memorial Hall in Llanfair Talhaiarn became the flood
operation and community rescue centre. This seemed to bring the community together behind the plan to
upgrade the hall and its facilities which has now been done, thanks to a grant from the Village Renewal Key
Fund.
Henryd is a small, scattered community, with patchy mobile signal service and a limited public transport
network. It’s only public facility and amenity is the Community Centre. Being very well used there was a
need to safeguard the fabric of the building in order to maintain this essential village resource. Plans
included installation of a new floor with non slip materials, a new stage to meet public use regulations,
additional storage and redecoration, thereby helping to ensure its sustainability in the future.
Support for the oldest and youngest rural shows in Conwy
4 village shows have had support from the Rural Heritage Key Fund under the Rural Development Plan.
Among them were Pentrefoelas who wanted an annual event to bring the community together and had their
first show in 2014. And Llangernyw Horticultural Show which has been held for over 150 years, even
through the wars.
Ysbyty Ifan and Nebo Shows have also had grant support to help them keep their place as the main annual
event on the calendar in their communities.
For more information on the projects we offer please contact 01492 643159
or email conwyruralpartnership@conwy.gov.uk
or visit our website www.ruralconwy.org.uk
Tendering and Procurement
Opportunities
Gaining access to European Funding doesn’t always involve leading on a project or acting as a jointsponsor. Organisations in Wales can benefit from European funding by bidding to deliver project
activities of European Union funded projects through competitive tendering.
All tender notices for EU funded projects are uploaded onto the Sell2Wales website.
Local organisations and businesses are urged to sign-up to this website and register their details.
To view all notices on EU-funded projects including early notices, invitations to workshops and other
useful information, please follow this instruction on the Sell2Wales search facility:
http://www.sell2wales.co.uk
1.
2.
3.
4.
Choose “Advanced search” tab.
Select Type of Notice “All”.
Select Status “All”
Funded by Welsh European Funding Office – “yes”
Keeping You Informed
To make sure that you are kept fully updated with the numerous tendering opportunities stemming
from European funded projects, Conwy European Team distributes regular information on tendering
opportunities to local groups and businesses.
Being part of this database is an excellent way of keeping up to date on all tenders that are
advertised through the Sell2Wales website. If you are interested in receiving information on tendering
opportunities and being included on our database, please complete and return the following slip:
Name:
Address:
E-mail:
Tel Number:
Organisation:
Areas of interest for tendering purposes:
Please complete and return to:
Specialist European Team
Community Development Service
Library Building
Llandudno, LL30 2RP