The Loddon and Test LEADER area comprises a new Local Action Group which evolved from the previous Loddon and Eversley LEADER area.
The previous area was much smaller and covered only Hart District Council and parts of and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. This previous programme ran from 2008 to 2013 and it covered a rural population of approximately 98,000 people.
The previous programme was very successful, we funded 60 projects, committing a total of nearly 1.2 million over the 6 years. The average grant was £19,000 and we helped to create 66 new rural jobs for local people.
We funded a diversity of projects, including; 19 farm diversification projects, 11 forestry projects, 16 micro enterprise and tourism projects, 12 community projects and 2 training projects. Some examples and further information on projects we have funded can be seen in our projects section of this website.
We are proud of our achievement and were very keen as a Local Action Group to become involved in the next round of LEADER. With this in mind, we set out to develop a new strategy, this time bringing in previously uncovered parts of the Test Valley, Basingstoke and Deane, West Berkshire and Wokingham. We have also worked with our neighbours to ensure that all previously uncovered parts of Hampshire are now part of the new LEADER Programme.