A £3.5M POT of funding to boost economic growth in Teignbridge and south Devon has been opened up for rural and small businesses.

The South Devon Coastal Local Action Group (SDCLAG) and the Greater Dartmoor Local Economic Action Fund (GDLEAF) have been awarded the hefty sum to allocate to projects which promote business growth, productivity and jobs.

The programmes are funded under the Rural Development Programme for England and are sponsored by South Hams and Teignbridge councils.

Applications are now open for projects which aim to help small businesses and businesses in rural services, including farming, forestry, tourism and heritage.

SDCLAG chairman John Yeoman said: ‘If you run a small business or you are thinking of setting up or expanding a rural business, the SDCLAG provides a great opportunity to grow and increase productivity. It can help you to employ more people and develop a local identity in the community.

Cllr Doug Hellier-Laing, Teignbridge Council’s executive member for economy skills and tourism, said: ‘Teignbridge, together with colleagues in South Hams, has invested significant resources to ensure we can access larger external funds and deliver these two superb opportunities for our local businesses.’

He added: ‘The funds support economic growth in the area – and we would urge anyone who is looking to develop a local business and create additional employment to apply for funding.’

Anyone wishing to apply should visit the website at http://drcompany.

co.uk/local-action-groups to see whether their project meets the criteria and submit a simple project ideas form.

Interested parties can also contact Teignbridge’s economic development officer Allie Clark on 01626 215478 for GDLEAF or coastal officer Graeme Smith on 01626 215748 for SDCLAG.