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Programme Priorities

1. Projects that broaden opportunities for community services and infrastructure.
   This priority is designed to assist the retention, and improve the viability, of local community services such as Post Offices and Village shops, in addition projects that increase the scope and number of such services in rural communities are eligible.
2. Projects which support the retention of young people in the County.
   The young people of Herefordshire are seen as key to the future success of the County and indeed are a priority group for the Local Action Group. Projects that help address the causes of out-migration (e.g. high cost of housing, lack of services, lack of well-paid jobs and self-employment opportunities) are key to this priority. Although unable to effectively deal with these issues the programme should be able to identify pilot projects aimed at alleviating the problems.
3. Projects focusing on delivering environmental skills and awareness.
   This priority would support projects that focus on improving individuals and businesses environmental management techniques, renewable energy awareness and recycling and waste reduction. It is designed to focus on more general environmental concerns, rather than specifically on ecological or habitat management skills.
4. Culturally related projects that retain skills and people.
   Cultural services are seen as key to bringing local communities together and preventing the outward migration of people (and their skills) to better-served areas. Projects that help provide or improve these cultural' activities be they arts, sports, or general leisure related and thus help to retain the people and skills in the LAG area are the focus of this priority.
5. Projects supporting local festivals.
   This project is intended to promote festivals celebrating local traditions or celebrations rather than larger scale established events. The emphasis is on promoting the heritage, history and culture of the rural communities the festivals take place in.
6. Projects improving the local tourist amenity and infrastructure.
   This priority focuses on projects that provide improved services for tourists when in the County, rather than delivering a new tourist destination or attraction the emphasis is on maximising and improving the resources already available. For example environmental enhancements for accommodation, local produce marketing, and improved information to attractions, areas of interest, or walks.
7. Locally produced Food and Drink related projects.
   This priority is designed to help producers to market their existing products, explore new markets or products, form alliances with other similar producers, and help provide markets for the selling of these products.
8. Projects which increase the knowledge and use of historical and archaeological sites.
   The programme to date has been supportive of a number of relatively academic historical or archaeological projects and these have been successful in engaging with the local community and improving the knowledge of people. This priority is designed to take these types of projects to the next level by supporting those that focus on improving people's skills in archaeological, building and historical conservation. The aim is to get away from an academic study to a more tangible project that improves the skills of local people and provides an attraction for visitors to the area with associated benefits to the local community.

9. Projects which research, foster and implement natural processes in land and water management practices.

   Projects that might qualify would include, re-establishing natural riparian vegetation alongside rivers and streams, management of riparian habitat including tree lines, establishing floodplain wetlands, and small scale water treatment improvements, promoting soft engineering solutions to bank erosion.