Aln Valley Railway Phase 2 - Track Materials to Bridge 6
A funding grant of £35,462.00 was awarded
Phase 1, completed with the help of a previous LEADER grant, was to build a new station and visitor centre at Lionheart in Alnwick. The station offers train rides on track within the station area. The present application (Phase 2) is for funding to purchase track materials to extend the line from Lionheart Station to Bridge 6 on the old trackbed
Coffee Roaster Expansion
A funding grant of £9,538.00 was awarded
This larger roaster has allowed increased production and improved product consistency/quality. It roasts the coffee beans at high 210C temperature, but only takes 1.75 hours for a much larger batch, compared to a 9 hours process for the smaller roaster used previously. This has direct benefits in freeing up time for other work, particularly packing as this is quite labour intensive but allows them to add a personal touch.Each retail pack is date stamped with roast date to highlight product freshness. This business will then be able to expand by supplying more coffee to existing trade customers and attracting new customers
Rigg & Furrow (Forest Brewery)
A funding grant of £34,395.63 was awarded
Rigg and Furrow will transform an unused milking parlour into a production microbrewery, with a capacity of 10 Brewers Barrels (1600 litres) per brew. The aim of the Brewery is to brew beer with a true sense of place (terroir) which reflects the true character of our family farm in rural Northumberland.
The beer is brewed with malted barley and hops grown on the farm, and fermented with a house strain of yeast cultured from local fruit and flowers. The objective is to build a successful brand, emulating the success of American Farmhouse breweries
Wood Chipper for Sustainable Woodland Management
A funding grant of £3,600.00 was awarded
To aid the expansion of their business the applicant purchased a wood chipper at an approximate cost of £8000. The purpose of the wood chipper is to help with woodland management services across Northumberland.
Fresh Meat Production / Dedicated Cutting Unit
A funding grant of £33,688.00 was awarded
This project has allowed the applicant to streamline the production of its fresh meat and fresh meat products. By processing fresh meats in a dedicated cutting unit, the business is able to increase efficiency and enable production of retail packs of local Northumbrian meats and meat products for sale through their existing retail store in Alnwick town centre. The unit has provided the space to utilise new equipment to achieve this. The project allowed the business to expand sales and production leading to the creation of new jobs within the business.
Chathill Straw Pelleting Plant
A funding grant of £87,380.00 was awarded
The aim of this project was to create a fixed straw pelleting plant at Chathill Farm, using byproducts from harvesting grain such as straw and convert them into a commodity with a number of different markets and outlets at an increased value to its raw state. Straw pellets are produced in-house from the farms own source of straw and from a locally bought in supply, The straw pellets produced can be used for fuel for biomass boiler systems as an alternative to woodchip, bedding for livestock and horses, feed for livestock, pet litter/bedding.