15 August 2011

The Village SOS Competition, from the Big Lottery Fund and the BBC, will give around 250 awards of between £10,000 - £30,000 to start up community businesses.

The competition has £5.3 million to support community businesses that bring people together in villages across the UK and support activities and enterprises that will tackle the challenges they face.

To be eligible to apply you must be a community enterprise and your village must be in a rural area and have fewer than 3,000 people living in it. Only one entry per village will be accepted.

The competition is particularly interested in enterprising ideas that will use the skills of local people, and the area's natural resources, land and buildings.

The competition is expected to open on 24 August 2011.

Only Village SOS members will be able to apply. You can sign up to become a member by visiting the Village SOS website.

The competition is a two-stage process:

• Entry Stage: You will be asked about your idea, how you know it is needed and how you have consulted with your community. The deadline for this stage is 6 October 2011

• Application stage: Around 500 entrants will be invited to participate in this stage, involving a more detailed application form, including details such as the project's budget and how it will be managed. Villages will have around three months to complete this part of their entry, as forms will need to be submitted by February 2012, with grant offers being made from May 2012.

For more information and guidance visit the Village SOS website.

Contact: Village SOS
Telephone: 0845 434 9123
Website: http://www.villagesos.org.uk/get-involved/business-essentials/village-sos-competition