iROC

North Pennine Dales LEADER were very pleased to be able to support the inaugural event of the iROC Adventure Race Weekend. The event which took place on the 18th and 19th of April within the LaFarge Eastgate quarry complex consisted of six individual races including running, orienteering and cycling. | Read more

Upper Teesdale Tourism Business Support Network

This is a fifteen month long project, designed to establish a local tourism network based in and around Middleton in Teesdale, to work with businesses that provide accommodation, attractions and events, shops and services, catering outlets and other businesses, that will improve the local offer for all types of tourists and day visitors to coordinate information collection. | Read more

Tyne Valley Cycling Club

Olympic riders and elite enthusiasts took part in the Derwent Cycle Race an event which brought two small rural communities together to host the race. This event is the third race of the premier national British Cycling road race calendar and was organised by Tyne Valley Cycling Club. | Read more

Pebbles Art Gallery

A rural Northumberland village is preparing itself for the most ambitious project in its history - the creation of a new art and media centre. The venture in Allendale, near Hexham, has brought together a wide range of creative practitioners and community members to create workspace and studios for small businesses, exhibition gallery, workshops, café, office facilities and a sound and media studio where the youth project will be based. | Read more

Allenheads Community Shop

Building on the success of The Hemmel Café and recognising the need for a village shop North Pennine Dales LEADER was delighted to support the development of the Allenheads Trust Community Shop which links to the café, this provides a valuable service for both the residents of the area and the many visitors. | Read more

South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society

North Pennine Dales LEADER are delighted to be able to support this project which will extend the existing narrow gauge rail track from Kirkhaugh to Lintley Viaduct with a loop to run the trains around, working in conjunction with another funder, Groundworks who have supported the construction of a platform, shelter, picnic area footpath and fencing. This project will enable access to the railway from Northumberland and encourage coach parties and visitors to disembark and enjoy the Northumberland area.

Stanhope Pool

Stanhope Pool is to develop an all weather facility to enable visitors to enjoy the open air pool and have a sheltered conservatory area to sit and relax with a log fired sauna which can be set to heat the outdoor space. The project will enable Stanhope Pool to extend the opening season generate additional income and provided added services to the area.

Barnard Castle Riverside & Volunteer Project

This is a short term project aimed at physical improvements to the area around the ‘honey pot’ heritage area adjacent to the river and castle in Barnard Castle, and aimed at attracting tourists. The works are mainly to establish a new footpath from the river Tees to the castle and the volunteer support will clear and thin out overgrown trees and shrubs to restore good views of the river and help restore the sculpture garden. | Read more

New Hall Farm

The Wilson family identified a significant gap in the tourism accommodation market to provide 4 star plus accommodation for large groups. New Hall Farm is a small family farm located in the Wolsingham area of Weardale. It started to diversify into self catering from their normal farming business around five years ago. | Read more

JWB Moorland Services

This is a farm diversification project to assist this established farming business to move away from cattle and sheep farming and into environmental contracting. Other environmental related enterprises are also being considered. The farm has applied for RDPE support to purchase a state of the art covered weed wiper, complete with GPS and a cut and collect forage system for environmental conditioning purposes, to improve weed, bracken and rush control in environmental sensitive areas. The growing demand for this service, although in its infancy, is supported by public bodies such as NPD AONB and Natural England, and private estates and charities such as the RSPB. The long term sustainability of the farm business will be greatly increased.

TVHC Training

Teesdale Village Halls Consortium is a registered charity and works to promote and improve the effectiveness of village hall and community organisations in the Teesdale area. A part of this aim, it wishes to expand the type of training it offers, and it has designed a package of accredited training which includes a) an award in Food Safety in Catering, 2) Emergency First Aid, and 3) An award in Health and Safety at Work, all of which will be valuable to both volunteers and paid employees.The training is viewed as innovative in this area, and will benefit around 400 individuals. The demand for this training is regular and constant, and adds value to other training available in the area. TVHC is linked into established local learning networks; and it will not duplicate any other training provision of this nature.

North Pennines Training & Adventure

A new tourism micro-enterprise that will use the natural heritage of the North Pennines in a sustainable manner. Support is sought for the purchase of capital equipment as business start up costs plus a small level of marketing. The business that will be created as a result will offer a range of training / adventure activities in the North Pennine Dales in the form of:

• First aid training
• Outdoor skills (e.g. navigation skills)
• Adventure activities utilising the natural environment and covering land and water based activities

Barnard Castle Cricket Club 20/20 Kidzone

Barnard Castle Cricket Club was support to expand an existing community facility for young people (currently standing at 150 young people as members). The young people were very involved with the development of the project and the application to LEADER. They wish to link the newly built changing rooms to the existing social club, build a new extension, demolish outdated toilets, stock rooms and replace the kitchen, and introduce a new recreational area. Changes will enable the facility to be used 52 weeks a year rather than the current six months, and create a more attractive community resource. The building link will have the added benefit of providing, at no costs to the project, access to new toilet facilities and reception area.

Allendale Preschool Playgroup

Capital investment was provided towards the establishment of an outdoor play area within an established pre-school group. The play area will provide a safe area where young children can play. It will also contain an educational element in that planters will be available for the growing of flowers and fruit/vegetables. A canopy will provide protection from the elements. This part of the project was the final phase of a purpose built facility next to the primary school which ensure the playgroup can expand its offer and secure long term sustainability.

Working for a Future - Pilot Study

This is a participatory action research study project, to engage with the whole village community in the village of Frosterley, in upper Weardale. It seeks to place the village as a ‘Transition Town’ - one that encourages local approaches to community level sustainability, to reduce carbon production by individual, domestic and business users through information, advice, education and training of up to 10% (80 people) of the population of the village spread across the socio-economic groups.

It will monitor before and after usages of resources in two areas, and will also look at energy, transport, water, waste, food and drink, building and construction and bio-diversity. The project will last for fifteen months and the study will make recommendations for local people, policy makers and funders.

Bishop FM

Support for the transmitter equipment to enable the station to have a FM presence. A brand new radio station is celebrating the success of its first month on air, broadcasting local news and views to thousands of enthusiastic listeners across South West Durham. Community radio station Bishop FM is run by more than 60 volunteers from all walks of life. | Read more

North Pennine Dales Enterprising Food

This is a capital project to purchase a mobile display unit and promotional equipment including a portable demonstration kitchen, refrigerator and trailer to support this new partnership, formed to support the production, promotion and use of locally grown/reared food in the North Pennine Dales | Read more

Allendale Golf Club

In order to reduce their carbon footprint and increase the energy efficiency of their clubhouse, Allendale Golf Club commissioned an independent feasibility study which recommended that a wind turbine be installed to generate the required amount of electricity through renewable energy sources. | Read more

Bishop Auckland Food Festival

The Bishop Auckland Food Festival is a significant regional annual event aimed at showcasing local businesses and their range of products. Local traders from Weardale, Teesdale and Tynedale have participated in the event previously and these were among 96 individual businesses that participated at the event in 2009. | Read more

Hay Meadows

Hay Meadows is a project which uses a travelling troop of actors to relate and raise the profile on environmental issues the topic of this production is the hay meadows of the North Pennine Dales which are in decline.

Wild North Discovery

RDPE Leader support is requested to enable a new business start up to offer nature / heritage based week / weekend breaks in the North Pennines. The request is for books, equipment and tools that will participants will use to explore the wildlife and heritage of the area, plus some costs towards a promotional leaflet.

Sustainable Allendale Food & Energy Feasibility Study

Sustainable Allendale CIC is a new Community Interest Company and assists its community to work towards being self determining and self sufficient. It wishes to commission a feasibility study to investigate the potential for a wood fuel district heating system and a community supported agriculture initiative, amongst other priorities. It has secured £10,000 from the Big Lottery and a small amount from private contributions for the wider project; however it requires a further public investment of £10,046 to ensure a good quality feasibility study.

Newgate Studios

Artworks exist to develop links between artists, their work and the local community of Teesdale. Together with regeneration body, Barnard Castle Vision, they plan to develop a former car showroom to create a state of the art gallery and flexible studio space for professional visual and digital artists, at a prime location in the centre of Barnard Castle. It will attract touring exhibitions and provide up to 30 artists with workshop space, and provide a café area with indoor and outdoor seating for visitors and tourists.

Whitfield First School

A CofE school which is being very adventurous in trying to achieve a zero carbon site and promoting and offering training to share best practices.

Community Enterprise

Provision of a community coach which will work with community groups and individuals who are looking to become more enterprising.

Whitfield Parish Hall

We supported the development of a kitchen to enable the hall to look at the long term sustainability and take on outside catering which will provide an additional income for the hall.

Get into Dry Stone Walling

A Princes Trust project to support young disadvantaged people to develop skills in a traditional trade and act as mentors to support with personal development.

Radio Teesdale

Support for the Station Manager to enable them to continue broadcasting.

Know Your North Pennines

A series of training sessions and workshops for tourism related businesses and providers to up skill them to better place them to understand and promote their area.

Natural Ability

Feasibility study to establish the need and viability of a supported live and work project for people with learning difficulties.

Weardale Community Buildings Network

Mapping exercise to assess the community buildings in Weardale, needs analysis and how they can become sustainable.

MEET Hire

Small community group which have created a pool of equipment which can be hired by other community groups at favourable terms and provide the MEET with additional revenue to support with the long term viability.

Teesdale Artists Network

A co-ordinator has been supported to enable Teesdale artists' to work together on joint marketing activities undertake training and stage open studio events.

Play@Cotherstone

Development of a barn attached to the local play area to provide storage, and meeting facilities for the group with opportunity to provide refreshments for events held in the play field.