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Economy and business

The economy of the North Pennines is characterised by a multitude of very small businesses.   

A stunning landscape rich in wildlife, history and community, provides us with many services; only by supporting the things that keep it special can these vital services be provided into the future. Our landscape provides us with food, jobs, timber and building materials from farming, forestry, grouse moor management and small-scale quarrying for local stone. The high quality landscape also underpins the area's visitor economy which indirectly supports many local services.

Highlights:

  • We secured a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £109,500 to run our Heritage Landscape Skills project 2010-13
  • Development of the North Pennine Dales Local Food Project - Love Food - with Teesdale Marketing Ltd and the Teesdale and Wear Valley Enterprise Agency
  • To commemorate the IUCN UK Peatland conference we commissioned a special beer - Old Sphagnum - to be brewed at Allendale Brewery

Some of our achievements this year:

Lovefood - North Pennine Dales Local Food Project:

  • We are one of three lead partners along with Teesdale Marketing Ltd and South Durham Enterprise Agency
  • In our first year we bought a mobile demonstration kitchen and event trailer to raise public awareness at events
  • We funded the Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Service (UTASS) to facilitate sustainable farm management and Environmental Stewardship scheme entry
  • Through the project more than 70 businesses have been supported or advised, and more than 10 business start-ups supported
  • Capital investment in farmers' markets including establishing a new market at Allendale
  • The Lovefood website - www.Lovefood.me - has been launched and the Food Academy (food business mentor and training programme) was developed

Heritage Landscape Skills 2010-13:

  • We took on the first two of our dry stone walling trainees which will see eight trainee wallers taking part in a year-long bursary scheme. Two conservation trainees will also be appointed to work in the AONB team
  • We have given individual advice to 57 people looking for training opportunities in rural skills, and we produce a regular 'Training opportunities' sheet
  • The AONB has become a Lantra approved training centre for dry stone walling

Leaflet swaps:

  • We ran the popular North Pennines Leaflet Swap in Alston in partnership with Eden Tourism and Alston Moor Local Links. Twenty-three businesses attended and more than 200 collectors visited
  • We also attended two other leaflet swaps
Two dry stone wallers