Business Group
- Collaborate with rural food and farming organisations to ensure links with farming, food production and rural community development are sustained.
- Provide support and guidance for farmers via county institutions on the replacement of European funding with the basic payment scheme and ELMS.
- Develop the sub-groups: Business, Support and Innovation, and Rural Skills Development to support diversified rural businesses, identifying areas for funding, and to work with education establishments to identify skills gaps within the food and farming industries.
- Promote the Gloucestershire Food and Farming Partnership and the opportunities this offers communities: food education, community engagement, health and wellbeing. Delivering on the aspirations of 'Sustainable Food Places' where healthy and sustainable food is a characteristic of the county.
- Work with key stakeholders in the county to promote the role food and farming can play surrounding food origins; diet, public health and wellbeing and value of food and the rural economy.
Chair: Claire Whitworth - Hartpury College & University
GFirst LEP Board Member: Emma Hanby - Campden BRI
Ben Compton - Bruton Knowles
Tim Andrews - Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE)
Jenny Phelps - The Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG)
Gill Reindl – Gill Reindl Consulting
Carey Ives – Gloucestershire County Council
Chris Farr - Gloucestershire CLA
Barbara Pond – Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC)
Ben Thompson - Hartpury University & College
Simon King – Hartpury University & College
Charles Mann – Organic Farmer
Katie Jarvis - National Farmers Union (NFU)
Dr Esther Wilkinson - Royal Agricultural University
Janet Dwyer – University of Gloucestershire (CCRI)
Bryonny Goodwin-Hawkins - NICRE South West
Jonathan Powell - Virgin Money
