
Malvern Hills announces new round of rural project funding
Small business, charities, and further education institutions in the Malvern Hills area are among the organisations eligible to apply for grants of between £2,500 and £25,000, funded by MHDC and the government's Rural England Prosperity Fund.Previous winners include a facilities management company in Hanley Swan which was awarded more than £7,500 to renovate its office, and a husband-and-wife team who turned their front room in Upton-upon-Severn into a pub.This is the second round of funding this year, with the first having closed to applications on Monday.The deadline for expressions of interest is 7 July, while full applications must be submitted by 18 August.Decisions on both rounds will be made at the end of July and September respectively.Successful applicants must complete their projects by next January.Full details are available on the MHDC Rural Fund webpages.
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Aviva took six months to transfer my pension - and it cost me £7,000: SALLY SORTS IT
I had three pensions with Aviva worth £140,607 that I wanted to transfer to investment firm Vanguard. I made the request on November 27 last year, as I wanted the money in my Vanguard account in good time by April 5, 2025, so I could have some income from it in that tax year. However, this was not possible because Aviva delayed transferring them. Please can you help? G.W., Maidstone, Kent. Sally Hamilton replies: When you asked to transfer your pensions from Aviva, Vanguard suggested it would take around four to eight weeks. This gave you plenty of breathing space – or so you thought – to get the transaction done, so you could take an income from the transferred pot before the tax year ended. But it wasn't until April 2 – with just three days left of the last tax year – that Aviva finally told you by letter that the payment had been issued, including £2,638 in late interest. You checked your Aviva account online and found it was indeed closed, with no funds remaining. But to your frustration it had not reached Vanguard. The delays continued. Two weeks (and nine chasing phone calls to Aviva customer service) later, Aviva revealed that the payment couldn't be made as the bank had not authorised it. It gave no explanation but told you not to worry as it would go through in a couple of days. It didn't. Your blood pressure climbed when staff said it would take four weeks to investigate your complaint. After four weeks your frustration was off the charts, when they told you they were still looking into it and asked you to allow them another four weeks. All this time you had neither access to your pension – and nor was it invested. Every time you tried to speak to someone with authority, you ended going round in circles, with calls either not returned – or missed – and when you called back, the manager who had left you a message wasn't known to the call handler. It was time for me to give Aviva a serious prod. Within a few days Aviva finally got a grip on your case and your money landed with Vanguard a few days later. Details were not given of what exactly went wrong except the company admitted a blunder. A spokesman says: 'We are extremely sorry for the delay in transferring Mr W's pensions, and the distress this has caused him. 'This was due to an error on our part. I can confirm that the full payment has now been transferred and received by Vanguard.' Last week, Aviva finally completed a loss assessment after liaising with Vanguard. This took several weeks of to-ing and fro-ing between it and Vanguard. In the end, taking into account late and lost interest, plus potential tax liability faced by you for taking the money in the current tax year rather than last year as planned, plus £750 as an apology, you have received total recompense of £8,096. Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@ — include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given.


BBC News
4 minutes ago
- BBC News
Agreement reached over Morecambe takeover
Morecambe's owners and prospective buyers Panjab Warriors have reached an agreement in principle to transfer the majority shareholding in the announcement comes after the two parties agreed to a mediation session this week after an initial session failed to take place the week Warriors previously had their takeover approved by the EFL in June following the club's relegation from League Two, but a chaotic summer has since followed, with the Shrimps being suspended from the National League in the midst of an ongoing impasse."This agreement reflects the willingness of both sides to compromise in the best interests of Morecambe FC, its supporters, and the wider community. It paves the way for continued stability and a positive future both on and off the pitch," the two parties said in a joint statement., external"Final legal documentation will now be prepared, with immediate steps being taken to inform key stakeholders, including the National League and the club's management team."Both Panjab Warriors and Bond Group would like to thank all parties involved for their patience and support during this process, and we look forward to a new chapter in the club's history." Panjab Warriors, who have been trying to take over the beleaguered club for over a year, were joined in a separate bid by businessman Jonny Cato in trying to mount a closed operations in late July shortly after their suspension from the National League, with a takeover still to take culture secretary Lisa Nandy called on owner Jason Whittingham to sell the club, with the Shrimps' plight coinciding with the Football Governance Bill passing into is unclear from Thursday's statement when Panjab Warriors' takeover will be finalised, however."We would like to thank all of the staff at the club for their forbearance and can only apologise for the stress this has caused," added the Bond Group."In particular I would like to thank Rob, Derek, Oliver and Martin for their continued professional conduct and support throughout this process and also their support for the staff and the community."I would hope that the Shrimps fans can now give their full support to the club and its journey ahead."


Reuters
4 minutes ago
- Reuters
UK's Unite Group to buy Empiric Student Property in $860 million deal
Aug 14 (Reuters) - British student accommodation developer Unite Group (UTG.L), opens new tab has agreed to acquire Empiric Student Property (ESP.L), opens new tab, creating a $14 billion student housing giant as UK university enrolments rise. The cash-and-stock deal, which values Empiric at 634 million pounds ($860.6 million), adds to a wave of transactions in the UK real estate investment trust sector, and comes amid a broader surge in takeover bids for British firms. Unite Group mainly provides housing for first-year students at universities across Britain, while Empiric, which operates premium housing under the Hello Student brand, houses returning students. The deal would result in a combined portfolio worth 10.5 billion pounds, with about 75,000 beds. Demand for further education has rebounded in the past three years following a COVID-induced pause, while tightening student visa policies in key markets like the U.S. and Australia are redirecting student interest toward alternative destinations. "More restrictive policy in the UK's main competitor markets, including the U.S. and Australia, is... making the UK a more attractive destination to international students," a Unite spokesperson said in an emailed statement. According to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, UK university acceptances have reached a record high in 2025, with international undergraduate acceptances also rising, led by strong demand from China and the U.S. Under the terms of the deal, Empiric's shares would be valued at about 94.2 pence each, excluding dividends, based on Unite's closing share price of 732 pence on Wednesday. Upon completion, Empiric shareholders will own about 10% of the combined group, with existing Unite shareholders holding the remaining 90%. In 2024 Empiric undertook an extensive process to find a joint venture partner, but the search did not result in an agreement on acceptable terms. ($1 = 0.7367 pounds)