Gourmet Garden Trails (Extension)

This project has previously received SSF and delivered a successful project. However, in the light of Covid-19 VisitEngland have released additional funding to adapt existing projects to focus on the domestic market to drive recovery of the visitor economy. This offers the chance to carry on the and add to the previous good work.

The amplification of Gourmet Garden Trails will prioritise:

• Adapting product for and targeting the domestic market by capitalising on the growing trend for enjoying local food, local produce, and local landscapes, with a focus on wine and RHS partner gardens.
• Geographical & product expansion including East Sussex, with a focus on the South East.
• Developing further seasonal content to expand the year-round offer, supporting local business and jobs at a fragile time.
• Making the product self-sustaining through integration with VisitBritain’s Tourism Exchange Great Britain (TXGB) distribution platform for individual products and explore other third party booking partnerships for booking ‘packages’.
• Collaboration with Produced in Kent’s Support Your Local and Help Kent, Essex and East Sussex Buy Local campaigns, to cross promote and maximise benefits.
• Position Gourmet Garden Trails to be able to leverage more funding

Sector Support Fund

The Sector Support Fund (SSF) is a £500,000 per year pot to support one-off, discrete pieces of work of a pan-LEP nature with a sector focus that brings demonstrable benefit and has support across the LEP. At the June 2020 meeting a further £1 million was allocated to the SSF programme and it was extended until 31 March 2022 or when the fund is exhausted, whichever is sooner, The criteria was extended to ensure projects act to support the Covid-19 economic recovery and /or support the economy through the EU transition process.

It uses Growing Places Fund (GPF) Revenue grant to fund a programme of works to support the sector focussed activities that are being undertaken on a pan-LEP basis and predominantly led by the SELEP working groups. When the Growing Places Fund (GPF) grant was originally awarded, a proportion of the fund was earmarked as revenue which is being used for the Sector Support Fund.