Applications sought from rural communities with connectivity solutions
Date Added - 29/07/10
The Moray LEADER local action group is inviting inquiries and applications from communities who have innovative solutions to connectivity issues in rural areas.
Projects considered should bring faster speeds, improved coverage or simply research to identify the digital needs of rural Moray.
High-speed connectivity contributes to the development of sustainable communities by improving quality of life and helping to attract residents.
It also helps meet the challenges of increased globalisation, climate change and an ageing population in scarcely populated communities. Conversely, employers and young people will move away from communities that cannot offer digital inclusion.
Moray needs to keep pace with progress in a rapidly changing world and enable local innovation and entrepreneurship to develop local access networks where national providers choose not to invest. This will enable rural enterprises to participate in the global digital economy, include local communities in the global digital society and allow rural areas to exploit new opportunities for innovation.
LEADER is an innovative rural development funding programme for communities and groups in rural Moray aimed at promoting sustainable development within rural areas. LEADER aims to increase capacity of rural community and business networks through sustainable projects and initiatives that deliver community benefit.
The programme provides an opportunity for participating groups to develop innovative and sustainable projects that will strengthen the social, economic and environmental fabric of Moray's rural communities.
Stimulating rural innovation is a key objective for LEADER. The focus on innovation is founded on the belief that doing "more of the same" is unlikely to enable rural areas to reach their full potential.
The area covered by the Moray LEADER programme is the Moray Council area excluding Elgin and the Cairngorms National Park. The exception to this rule is where the project would lead to wide community benefit to all of rural Moray.
LEADER is part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Scottish Government with match funding from the public and private sectors.
Potential applicants can make an initial enquiry through the Moray LEADER website at www.morayleader.org.uk
