Local farmers across Craigavon, Armagh and Newry & Mourne Councils are being urged by Southern Organisation for Action in Rural Areas (SOAR) to seek farm diversification grants worth up to £50,000 which are as quick and easy to apply for as counting sheep. The next deadline for farming families to apply is 4pm on 11th June with further calls for applications planned up until 2013.With almost £1 million already granted to rural small businesses creating 57 new rural jobs, SOAR’s Joint Committee Council and the Local Action Group are keen to hear from farmers who wish to set up a new business outside of mainstream agriculture, emphasising that the process is easy and straightforward. They are also keen to emphasise that applicants will be supported by a friendly, helpful and experienced team of people who are available to talk them through their business ideas.Once approved, the funds can be used for either new equipment or buildings with past applicants having been awarded grants for projects as diverse as light engineering, self-catering accommodation, leisure activities and repair services. Speaking about the grants, Councillor Josephine O’Hare, Chairperson of SOAR’s Joint Council Committee said, “Many farmers have buildings or other facilities which have potential to be developed into small businesses outside of mainstream agriculture and we are now calling on them to apply for grants which will allow them to grow their business and in turn supplement their farm income.”Adding to this, SOAR’s Action Group Chairman, Miceal McCoy said, “Farming families have an excellent opportunity to make use of grants of up to £50,000 which are available to set up or develop an existing business and with six professional staff available across the three Council areas to help guide them, farmers can be confident that they will receive the support they need to develop their plans.”In preparation for submitting an application for a grant, farmers are asked to provide market research or test-marketing to demonstrate that there is a local market for the new business. The new business can operate on a part-time business and Council staff are available to work with all family members to ensure that the business is a success.Farmers interested in applying for grants can contact Elaine Cullen, Programme Manager and the rest of the team across the three Councils at Craigavon Borough Council on (028) 3831 2588, Armagh City & District Council on (028) 3752 9618 or Newry & Mourne District Council on (028) 3086 8900 & (028) 4177 4381.

Northern Ireland food lovers are preparing to have their taste buds tickled this spring with the arrival of the first ever Great Belfast Food Week from Wednesday 24th to Saturday 27th March 2010. The four day festival is being headlined by star of Saturday Kitchen James Martin, loveable “I’m a celebrity…” winner Gino D Acampo and Radio 4 host of The Good Food Programme Sheila Dillon as well as a selection of local food heroes including Paul Rankin and Nick Price. Organised by Belfast City Council in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, DARD, the event is aimed at raising awareness of Northern Ireland’s unique food culture and history and will feature a host of local food producers with demonstrations and opportunities for the trade and public to sample Northern Ireland’s top notch cuisine prepared by top notch chefs. Designed primarily to interest foodies, critics and culture fans far and wide, the organisers are confident that the event will attract food lovers who are keen to sample the very best of NI produce, acquire valuable tips from celebrity chefs and challenge their taste buds to a marathon taste testing trial.

Golden Wonder, Scotland’s very own crisp brand, has signed a deal with STV to sponsor STV Sports News for the next six months.Originally launched over sixty years ago, Golden Wonder’s £500,000 sponsorship investment is the first significant marketing venture for the historic Golden Wonder brand since its acquisition by Tayto in 2006.The deal, which covers sponsorship of the mid week sports bulletins until August 2010 will also be supported by significant sampling at major Scottish sporting events as well as at grass roots football and rugby.The brand is eager to reignite consumer awareness and re-establish Golden Wonder as leader in the Scottish flat crisp market with its ‘full on flavour’ campaign. Elly Hunter, Marketing Director commented, “This is an exciting time for Golden Wonder, initiatives such as the sponsorship of STV Sports News is exactly the type of activity we believe will help us execute our high growth strategy.We took our time to find an impactful, high profile sponsorship deal with exactly the right fit with our customer profile and we look forward to rolling out our extensive sampling and public relations campaign which will also support the brand over the coming months.”Golden Wonder engaged Ardmore Advertising, a full service agency, on the creative. Three different famous sporting moments are replicated in the family focused stings, each with their own touch of humour and legendary Archie Macpherson provides instantly recognisable voice-over commentary.The Golden Wonder portfolio currently houses three ranges, Golden Wonder, Golden Wonder Lights and Ringos.

Davy, Ireland’s leading provider of stockbroking, wealth management and financial advisory services, has awarded Northern Ireland-based artist Ian Cumberland the 2010 Davy Portrait Award, worth £10,000 at a ceremony in Belfast for his captivating oil on board self portrait. The awards, in association with Arts & Business, were open to artists working in traditional and non-traditional media across Ireland. The judging panel comprised Rosie Broadley, Associate Curator of Contemporary Collections at the National Portrait Gallery in London and Brenda McParland, a renowned International Curator and Arts Management Professional in Contemporary Visual Arts. Cumberland describes the winning portrait as ‘A celebration of flaws using the marks and colour of the paint to accurately portray the flesh and bring out all the imperfections that everyone has. From a distance the painting is very realistic, but up close its quite uneven’. Ian studied ‘Fine and Applied Arts’ at University of Ulster and has exhibited at numerous solo and group exhibitions across Ireland and the UK, including Royal Ulster Academy exhibitions and the National Portrait Gallery, London in 2009 as part of the BP Portrait Awards which then toured to the Dean Gallery of the National Galleries of Scotland. Ian’s ‘Self Portrait’ can be viewed alongside 28 other shortlisted paintings selected from over 300 entries at the 2010 Davy Portrait Awards exhibition which takes place at the Naughton Gallery in Belfast from Friday 26th February 2010 and will then move to the Farmleigh Gallery, Dublin in April.

Energy Minister Arlene Foster has launched the ‘Big Change’ gas safety awareness campaign in Belfast, today.The campaign is aimed at helping all 150,000 gas consumers in Northern Ireland better understand the switch over from the CORGI to the Gas Safe Register scheme for gas installers. The switch over will bring Northern Ireland into line with Great Britain. From the beginning of April 2010, anyone undertaking the installation, maintenance or repair of a gas appliance must be legally registered on the Gas Safe Register. Membership of the register will give the public an assurance that the gas engineers working in their homes are trained and competent to do a safe job.