Charity begins at home (I hope)

[Suzy]

Starting up a firewood business, and I have just submitted an application for a grant. Looks like it's going to be a complicated process if it gets accepted. Need to do a long business plan. Has anyone else done similar? If so any help and advice would be appreciated.

[Mr Ed]

Hi Suzy, welcome to arbtalk. What part of the country are you in? this can make quite a diffrence to the outcome.

[Suzy]

Hi Mr Ed. I'm in the South West of England...

[Joy Yeomans]

Starting up a firewood business, and I have just submitted an application for a grant. Looks like it's going to be a complicated process if it gets accepted. Need to do a long business plan. Has anyone else done similar? If so any help and advice would be appreciated.

 

hope you get your grant, we cant get anything around us, if we were a few miles closer to Birmingham wed have grants coming out of our ears - had to buy everything we own ourselves and never had a helping hand from anyone - am I bitter - no, :sneaky2:just jealous - hope it works out for you

all the best

them log people in Staffordshire:thumbup1:

[Saw-sick Steve]

Starting up a firewood business, and I have just submitted an application for a grant. Looks like it's going to be a complicated process if it gets accepted. Need to do a long business plan. Has anyone else done similar? If so any help and advice would be appreciated.

 

Hi Suzy, from who are you applying for the grant and under what scheme?

[Suzy]

hope you get your grant, we cant get anything around us, if we were a few miles closer to Birmingham wed have grants coming out of our ears - had to buy everything we own ourselves and never had a helping hand from anyone - am I bitter - no, :sneaky2:just jealous - hope it works out for you

all the best

them log people in Staffordshire:thumbup1:

 

Thanks! Not sure what the chances of actually getting any money really are, but it's worth a try as it would make a real difference.

[Suzy]

Hi Suzy, from who are you applying for the grant and under what scheme?

 

Hi! It's through the RDPE (Rural Development Programme for England). They give grants for machinery and storage - if you are able to convince them. Apparently very few applications are successful in receiving funding, but it's surely worth a try!

[davetaz]

I invested just over £10k last spring in my firewood business as there was no financial assiatance available. But now there is through the RDPE. You may get up to 50% grant aid if accepted. We were told we needed a business plan but they preferred one of their people to write it and would cost us £1200 (grant of 40% available!!!). In our region (cheshire) they are "keen" to help people in sustainable fuel/forestry etc with capital purcahse for "specialised machinery" etc. I asked if they would take my recent investment as my 50% so they could help me fund a kindling machine, and what do you think said........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

send in an expression of interest form.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

write a business plan.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

but we probably wont take your recent investment in to consideration,

 

complete waste of time in my books. Grant schemes like this come from central government and europe in order to keep other people in jobs. With a £5million scheme I reckon only half will actually get delivered to the people it is aimed at, the rest is consumed by those people administering it

Good luck with your new venture and hope it works out. Just don't expect too much help from people in authority

[Stuart A-C]

Hi Suzy, where abouts in the south west are you?

[Suzy]

Hi Suzy, where abouts in the south west are you?

 

Hi Stuart A-C

 

I'm in Somerset.