The Woodfuel Woodland Improvement Grant is administered by Ngage Solutions on behalf of the Forestry Commission in three particular regions of the UK: Cumbria, the South West region and the South East. There are funds available for building roads and other infrastructure, as well as for getting professional help to bring neglected woods back into management. If you are thinking this grant could help you, then a new series of videos developed by Woodfuel WIG Project Manager, Mike Furness could get you started.

The ’10 easy steps to apply for a Woodfuel WIG’ can be viewed on the Ngage YouTube Channel. The videos explain everything you need to know about Woodfuel WIG, with helpful information on the eligibility criteria, filling out an application form, getting planning permission, and claiming the grant.

Mike speaks knowledgably about the scheme, having helped guide many landowners through the process, and he is just a phone call away from helping you to maximise your woodland’s potential.

Woodfuel Woodland Improvement Grants support the sustainable production of woodfuel and other timber products and can cover 60% of the total cost of any approved work. This could be measuring and marking timber for felling or creating new access routes in order to extract hard-to-reach timber.

£6.3 million of enquires have been received for the grant, with an average grant size of £36,000. The scheme is now into its final year; meaning time is running out to make an application. Applications must be received by October 2013.

So don’t delay! If you have a plan in mind for your woodland area and need to get it down on paper, watch Mike explain exactly what to do next and then put his advice into practice to claim your grant.

Watch the Woodfuel WIG YouTube videos here, and to speak to Mike Furness directly call him on 01494 568 970 or email mike.furness@ngagesolutions.co.uk.

The many billions of car journeys taken annually don’t just create traffic jams across the UK but are a major factor in generating air pollution which in total causes 50,000^[1] early deaths a year in the UK. While the effects of fast food and cheap booze can be seen on our streets every day, air pollution is the relatively unseen danger, unless you’ve found yourself walking down a smog-filled road and mistaken it for mist.

This smog should have faded already. The European Commission demanded that countries comply with legal limits for air quality by January 1^st 2010. We did not. The UK government admitted earlier this month that air quality will not meet the legal requirements until 2020 or in some areas like London until 2025. Only last week London was issued with a severe air pollution warning, with some pollution monitors registering 10 out of 10^[2]. While this leaves the government in breach of EU law, it leaves its people facing the hard truth that every day their environment becomes more hazardous to live in.

Politicians have tried and even been criticised for what they have done to help. In a bid to drive down CO₂ emissions, they encouraged people to turn to the more efficient diesel engines. But this had a knock-on effect of propelling more nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere, a key factor in the rising air pollution we are inhaling.

Saving money and saving energy tend to go hand in hand. By turning computers off when not in use, carpooling or switching to energy saving lighting businesses can cut costs and their emissions. Obviously, the most effective thing you can do is to reduce the miles you drive by working partially from home and, where possible, using video conferencing for meetings. You can also reduce pollution by converting your vehicle to LPG which has a big impact.

Now, people are motivated in different ways and there’s no problem with that. Whether it’s your conscience, your bank balance or your need for self preservation that is telling you to turn the TV off of standby, cycle to work rather than drive or finally create that green agenda for your workplace, act now before it’s too late.

As a business you can take action. If you have not already received a grant from Sustainable Routes, then don’t delay and register today on www.sustainableroutes.co.uk and realise the benefits of cutting down your business travel. There is £1,000 waiting for you.

References
House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee – Fifth Report 16.03.10 ^[1]
BBCNews website ^[2]

Excuses for not buying from local farm shops include: we do not have time to shop at both the farm shop and the supermarket; we do not know where a local farm shop is and how to contact them; and finally, the meat will be too expensive.

All these are reasonable excuses and are why supermarkets continue to be the main suppliers of meat. Time is a critical factor – notably, people’s available time to shop and shop opening times. A local farm shop (Seasons of North Dean) recently reported that people were getting around their shortage of time, by phoning in their orders and picking up a month’s supply in one visit. Whereas opening hours are still a challenge, when some supermarkets are open 24 hours and farm shops are usually open 9 – 5.

Access to local foods is not always easy and people like Mike Chapman, founder of Food on our Doorstep and Vidya Crawley founder of Local Roots can link you to local foods within a few miles. Another great way to access local foods is farmers markets, which are now becoming popular destinations in themselves. We are well served by great markets in Wendover, Beaconsfield, Winslow and more, with all food coming direct from the farmer and some now delivering if the order is of a reasonable size.

As for cost, there is usually little or no difference between the prices in the supermarket for a quality meat product and meat that is “padded”.  You’ll buy more of the “padded” meat which is less nutritious and less filling and buy less of the quality meat which is more nutritious and more filling.

So why should we care from a local economy point of view? The LEADER project has provided funding to support over 10 farm shops and each has gone from strength to strength. The farmers have a high level of care and dedication to their cattle and to the quality of the product that you find in the shops. Also, it’s reported that 70% of every £1.00 spent with a local food business circulates in the local economy versus 15% of every £1.00 spent in the corporate economy.

Of course, everyone would benefit if supermarkets introduced a new policy of sourcing all their meat and meat products locally. Now that’s a thought!

And finally, if you want good horse meat don’t water it down with second rate beef. Go to France and have the proper thing!

For more information on LEADER, contact Nick Phillips on 01494 568969 or nick.phillips@leader-programme.org.uk, or visit http://www.leader-programme.org.uk/.

The junior ministers, who are in the UK with the Royal Agricultural College, are studying agriculture and economic development through a scholarship scheme provided by the African Fellowship Trust, and were focusing on how state support can make an impact on starting and supporting small rural micro businesses.

“It is always really interesting to discuss with the group how they may implement some of the techniques in their own country. They are interested in “low tech and high employment” projects that could support rural communities,” said Nick Phillips, Programme Manager for LEADER.

The visitors were particularly interested in the processing at Chiltern Ridge Apples. Evert and Franker Donker who own and run Chiltern Ridge Apples gave the group a fascinating presentation, including a run through of how their equipment operates and a quick taste of the final product itself. Franker was also able to answer some of the challenging questions about how the process could work without electricity.

“They seemed to be really engaged in the manufacturing process, asking questions about how they could pasteurise using boiling water rather than an electrical process.” Said Evert.

The group also visited a new farm shop – Seasons – in North Dean Village and World Tents, a manufacturer of tents in Winslow. Each business visited had previously received a LEADER grant.

The African Fellowship Trust charity was established by David Campbell OBE, fellow of Royal Agricultural College, in order to support African agricultural development by sharing the advances of European agriculture.

For more information on how you can obtain a LEADER grant contact the team at nick.phillips@leader-programme.org.uk or hannah.sutcliffe@ngagesolutions.co.uk.

The grants can be used to improve or create new tracks in woodland areas so that timber can be extracted, often for the first time in decades. Much of this timber goes into the wood fuel supply chain, displacing fossil-fuel based heating and helping to reduce CO² emissions. So far the grant has saved more than 70,000 tonnes of CO².

The Woodfuel Woodland Improvement Grant is available to woodland owners throughout the South East, South West, and Cumbria. Running until December 2013.

For more information contact Mike Furness on 01494 568970 or at mike.furness@ngagesolutions.co.uk.