Exhibitor Profiles Willow Tree Cottage Timber Products Ciara Tiernan runs Willow Tree Cottage Timber Products with her husband Derek. Based in Annalong, Co. Down the company has been operational for three years. Willowtree are one of the leading animal housing manufacturers in Ireland. Ciara and Derek have used their experience of design and love of wood along with their knowledge of poultry keeping to produce beautiful handcrafted Chicken Coops which are finished to a very high standard. Willowtree supplies everything you need to begin keeping chickens including hen houses, feed, feeders, drinkers and even the hens themselves! They also specialise in manufacturing a full range of top quality timber roducts including Dove Cotes, Bee Hives, Bird Avaries, owl Boxes, Rabbit Hutches, Dog Kennels, Garden Sheds and Children’s play Houses. www.willow3.com Supported under the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme (NIRDP) by SOAR Local Action Group. WhatsonNI.com Jacqueline is a mother of three and runs the online whats’s on guide for NI – www.whatsonni.com. As an event manager in a previous life she understood the difficulties faced by event organisers in ensuring good attendance and launched whatsonni.com in June 2009 to address this. The site provides a platform for event organisers in NI to promote their events free of charge, creating a searchable database of things to do and see in NI. Jacqueline is a member of Women In Business NI and also writes a weekly family focussed column for the Irish News’ Parenting section. In 2011 Jacqueline won the following awards: Best Sole Trader, Women In Business Awards 2011; Best Tweeter, Northern Ireland Social Media Awards 2011; Best Customer Service through Social Media, Northern Ireland Social Media Awards, 2011. www.whatsonni.com Supported under the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme (NIRDP) by SWARD Local Action Group. Organic Celtic Soaps Having left behind a teaching career to concentrate on bringing up her two children Orla began to look for an alternative career which would best suit her family's needs. Orla always had an interest in Irish Folklore and Celtic designs and having read an article once about a lady who made her own soap, she decided to combine the two together and create Organic Celtic Soaps. Orla launched Organic Celtic Soaps at her home in the village of Moira just a year ago. “I became interested in creating my soaps when my regular hand soap began drying out my skin and I was constantly reaching for the hand moisturiser after every wash. I was keen to use materials which were sensibly sourced and kind to the environment. Without the support and encouragement of the Rural Development Programme, which has been amazing, none of this would have been possible. The funding I received from them helped me to invest in some much needed equipment, without which I could not have moved my business forward.” Orla now has a permanent stall at St. George's Market Belfast and also sells through selected retailers, craft fairs and charity events. www.organiccelticsoaps.co.uk Supported under the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme (NIRDP) by LAGAN Local Action Group. Homecraft Revival Gayle Hegarty is a farmer’s wife and mother of 3 who lives in a rural area near Omagh. Unimpressed with the lack of local courses on crafts Gayle decided to run them herself and now offers one-day courses in crochet, knitting, bag-making, sewing machine skills, patchwork, easy gifts and cupcake decorating from her home. Gayle explains, “The emerging ‘make-do and mend’ ethos of recent years has led to increased interest in crafts. What used to be taught at the fireside and in the classroom has lost its traditional place. Skills used to be passed down but there is now a whole generation of people who either never learned to sew or knit; or learned at school and then promptly turned away from it as it wasn’t cool. The number of times I heard people say, 'I wish I could learn how to sew, knit, crochet, even decorate cupcakes. I felt the same but I didn't have time for a six week evening course which set me to thinking about my own business. I turned to the Rural Development Programme when I realised I needed help with the setting up costs. I was able to buy equipment such as sewing machines, and get help towards the cost of the website. I don’t think I could have started Homecraft Revival without their financial support”. www.homecraftrevival.com Supported under the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme (NIRDP) by ARC North West Local Action Group. Heavenly Tasty Organics Since launching Heavenly Tasty Organics Ltd in 2011, Shauna McCarney’s baby food company has become a major award winner with her products now getting ready to sell to an export market. It was always her dream to run her own business and an interest in healthy eating and after discovering a massive gap in the market for fresh organic baby food, it all happened very quickly. “It has meant a lot of research and hard work in recent years” says Shauna, “ but with the support of the Rural Development Programme, I’m delighted to say Heavenly Tasty Organics Ltd is now a thriving rural business”. The company is now listed with Musgrave NI, Costcutter and the Henderson Group and has won the Business Award for ‘Best New Start-up’, the Women in Buisness Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Maternity and Infant Award’s ‘Business Parent of the Year’ for All Ireland. It was also one of the top 3 businesses in Northern Ireland in the Business Accelerators competition which was promoted by Prime Minister David Cameron and Dragon’s Den star Deborah Meaden. It has also been listed in the top 10 products in the Maternity and Infant Awards 2012, voting for which opens this month to find a winner for the Best Baby Food product in Ireland.” www.heavenlytastyorganics.com Supported under the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme (NIRDP) by SWARD Local Action Group. Lady Hat Bag Laura Jayne McCrea and Rebecca Jackson began their hat and handbag hire business in September 2011 when, as friends, they both realised that their combined interest in hats, handbags and accessories and experience in retail was a perfect joint venture. With much discussion the friends established their enterprise ‘Lady Hat Bag’ based at Laura Jayne’s farmhouse near Stewartstown. They undertook some business training with Invest N.I. and carried out some initial research which proved that there was nowhere in Mid Ulster which catered for the hire of designer handbags and hats. Laura Jayne’s husband Andrew, a former National Pig Farmer of the year is one of DARDs ‘Focus Farms’. Farms participating in this Scheme (funded under the Programme) are commercial farms that demonstrate good farming practices and offer opportunities for groups of farmers to share and learn. Laura Jayne participated in the Farm Family Options Mentoring Programme which assists farm families to consider opportunities and options for the farm business and individual farm family members. Through mentoring Laura Jayne was able to look at the marketing and promotion of the business, potential sources of funding, support and training available via Cafre and support for website development. The business has now taken flight with Lady Hat Bag stocking hats and handbags from exclusive designers in London and Italy such as Whitely Hats, Peter and Suzanne Betley, Royal Milliner Rachel Trevor Morgan and Bulaggi. www.ladyhatbag.co.uk www.ladyhatbag.co.uk SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS Farm Family Options Mentoring Programme This is a programme of support designed to encourage farmers and farm family members to identify and consider opportunities for both their own future and that of the farm business. The Farm Family Options Mentoring Programme will help you to identify options and opportunities to address your family’s needs. If you are considering changes to your farm business, or perhaps have concerns about adequate household income in the future, this is an opportunity to explore your options for improving profits from your farm business, or identifying other sources of income. Support on offer includes: Free one to one, independent and confidential support from a mentor, experienced in agriculture. (Up to 3 sessions at a time to suit you); Support to consider diversification or off farm employment opportunities Help to identify potential sources of additional income; Assistance with succession/ retirement planning through financial support for Legal or Financial advice (£ 250 per farm business); Referral to relevant organisations/ agencies for further support. Assistance with identifying training and development opportunities A positive Action Plan, identifying options for the way forward for both the farm business and individual farm family members To obtain an application pack or to enquire further please telephone: 0845 026 7539, email: [email protected] or visit www.countrysiderural.co.uk. The Farm Family Options Mentoring Programme is funded under Measure 1.1 of Axis 1 of the NI Rural Development Programme 2007 - 2013. Northern Ireland Rural Network (NIRWN) NIRWN’s vision is of a rural community where women play a full and equitable part in informing, influencing and supporting rural life to the benefit of all. Their mission is to advance rural women’s equality and participation in society by articulating and amplifying women’s voices at local, regional and strategic level. NIRWN is a rural regional organisation that works solely for the benefit of rural women, recognising that rural women face additional barriers in a number of areas of life, which differ from men and from their urban counterparts”. www.nirwn.org.uk Established by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and financed under the European Regional Development Fund Logon.ni offers free and impartial broadband and ICT advice to small to medium sized businesses throughout Northern Ireland. Logon.ni provides one-to-one support to businesses and all the advice is tailored to suit the business needs and requirements. Logon.ni advise on many ICT topics from getting broadband for your business through to making the most of online marketing tools and techniques for your business. Logon.ni business advisers meet with clients at their own business premises and can hold a series of meetings with clients. Alternatively businesses can meet with an adviser at the logon.ni Fixed Demonstration Centre based in Omagh. Logon.ni also have a mobile demonstration unit which travels to various towns and cities throughout the Province allowing businesses to come on board and discuss their ICT queries. In addition businesses can contact logon.ni for advice and support by phone, email or using the online chat facility on the logon.ni website. For more information on the logon.ni programme you can visit www.logon-ni.co.uk or call 028 828 39012. DARD Rural Enterprise Advisers are available to assist farmers and farm family members who are considering farm diversification as an option for their farm business. Rural Enterprise advisers offer help and assistance through:  Initial discussion with farm family members to consider and explore a new business idea; Business planning advice 1 and direction to appropriate training, such as DARD’s Diversification Challenge Programme . The ‘Diversification Challenge courses include Business Planning and Business Start. Each has a core of topics including marketing; managing staff; compliance with legislation managing finance; and rural development funding  One to one mentoring creating opportunities for participants to find solutions through discussion and sharing of their expertise. The advisers help tackle the issues and concerns faced by those considering a new business venture.  Providing direction and assistance with accessing potential funding sources for example NIRDP Axis 3 funding  Continued facilitation as clients implement new business. To discuss a potential diversification idea, join a Diversification Challenge course or progress an existing diversified business, contact DARD Rural Enterprise by phoning 028 9052 0815. Young Farmers Clubs of Ulster is Northern Ireland’s largest rural youth organisation with over 2,700 members in 52 Clubs. Members learn new skills, participate in new experiences, travel internationally and most importantly make new friends. The core membership base is anyone aged 12 to 25 but anyone over the age of 25 can be registered as an Associate member. This year they will launch 2 new membership initiatives –Membership Benefit Scheme and Affiliate Membership. The Membership Benefit Scheme allows members to get discounts at over 20 business across Northern Ireland when they show their Membership Card. The Affiliate Scheme allows companies to join membership for £100 per year – for this they are recognised on the YFCU website as an official supporter of the YFCU, get 2 Membership Cards (allowing them to avail of members discounts) and 2 copies of Rural Dispatch magazine which is issued 3 times a year. If interested in learning anything more about the YFCU speak to Jane Kilpatrick on the YFCU stand or see www.yfcu.org Enterprise Northern Ireland (ENI) is the organisation representing the network of Local Enterprise Agencies in Northern Ireland. Local Enterprise Agencies (LEAs) are independent, locally based not-for-profit companies set up to support small business development and to undertake economic development activity. ENI has thirty-two member agencies, with coverage across all local council areas in Northern Ireland. ENI's vision is to contribute to the development of the Northern Ireland economy in partnership with other key economic development stakeholders through the provision of a high quality, value-added continuum of support that complements local and national government strategies for entrepreneurship, enterprise and economic development. The Enterprise Northern Ireland Loan Fund provides loans to individuals both looking to start, or already running, their own business, who can demonstrate a viable business proposal, but who are struggling to access mainstream sources of finance for all or part of their funding requirements. Loans of up to 10k are available for both start-up and existing businesses. www.enterpriseni.com Local Rural Support Networks The Local Rural Support Networks are networks of rural community groups, who are membership, led independent organisations with charitable aims and objectives. The networks are widely representative of the rural community and are accountable to our membership. There are nine Rural Support Networks covering all rural areas of Northern Ireland. The nine organisations are:          Communities of South Tyrone & Areas; Cookstown & Western Shores Area Network; East Down Rural Community Network; Fermanagh Rural Community Network; North Antrim Rural Community Network; Omagh Forum for Rural Associations; Rural North West Community Support; South Antrim Rural Network; The Armagh, Down & Antrim Rural Support Network (TADA). Each network is committed to the development of their local rural communities, through providing practical support, guidance, information, signposting and networking opportunities for member groups, through locally based staff, resourced offices and network services and programmes. Contact details and further information for each of the Rural Support Networks can be obtained via www.localruralsupportnetworks.org Established as part of the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme, the Rural Network for Northern Ireland assists and supports the implementation and delivery of the programme across all axes. We do this by:      Identifying and sharing good practice - publications and events  Information Exchange and Coordination across Europe and UK  Providing a series of forums for exchanging information including Thematic Working Groups on Village Renewal; Women; ICT and Food and additional Working Groups on RDP Communications and Transnational Co-operation Providing advice and guidance through fact sheets, newsletters and liaison with delivery agents Providing training such as Good Corporate Governance and Assessment Panel training A comprehensive website providing information on all aspects of the NIRDP as well as UK and European information An RDP projects database currently listing 170 projects which have been funded through the NIRDP For further information on the work of the Rural Network visit our website www.ruralnetworkni.org.uk Axis 3 Council Clusters For the purposes of administering the EU Rural Development Programme in Northern Ireland, the 26 Local Government District Councils have ‘clustered’ together to form 7 Local Action Groups, covering all of rural Northern Ireland. The Local Action Groups, listed below, administer the Quality of Life measures of the NIRDP. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. South West Action for Rural Development (SWARD) covering the council areas of Cookstown, Dungannon, Fermanagh and Magherafelt. ARC North West covering the council areas of Omagh, Derry, Limavady and Strabane. North East Region covering the council areas of Ballymena, Ballymoney, Moyle, Larne and Coleraine Generating Rural Opportunities within South Antrim (GROW South Antrim) covering the council areas of Antrim, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey Lagan Rural Partnership covering the council areas of Lisburn, Belfast and Castlereagh Southern Organisation for Action in Rural Areas (SOAR) covering the council areas of Craigavon, Armagh and Newry and Mourne. Down Rural Area Partnership covering the council areas of Ards, Banbridge, Down and North Down. See Case Study Booklet for contact details or visit the Local Action Group Information Stand.