Member Article

Minister heaps praise on Northumberland National Park’s entrepreneurial spirit

Newly-appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs, Minister Rory Stewart, has heaped praise on Northumberland National Park innovative approach to rural enterprise and job creation, following a visit last Thursday.

Minister Stewart’s visit to the Park began with a tour of the Enterprise Hub at Eastburn, where he met National Park staff and members as well as representatives from the Rural Growth Network and Northumberland County Council. The Eastburn Enterprise Hub launched last year and there are now some 20 people from 11 rural businesses working from the site. The Hub offers fully-serviced office space, training and networking facilities to businesses of all sizes.

The Minister particularly praised the way in which the National Park and a range of private sector businesses are working together under one roof through the Eastburn Enterprise Hub.

The Minister also visited the National Park Visitor Centre at Once Brewed. Once Brewed is the site earmarked for development of the National Park’s new flagship project, The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre. Minister Stewart was introduced to the team behind the Sill project and had the opportunity to hear from them about the wide range of benefits the Sill will bring.

The Sill is a major £14.2m project led by Northumberland National Park Authority in partnership with the Youth Hostel Association (England and Wales) (YHA). It is the largest project ever undertaken by a UK National Park. The primary funder for The Sill is the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), which will invest almost £8 million in the project over the next five years. The Sill continues to attract significant donations from a range of statutory and philanthropic donors.

Minister Stewart was particularly impressed with how the Sill will deliver substantial benefits to the rural economy across the area. The Sill will create at least 120 jobs and contribute almost £5million in visitor spending to the North East economy per annum, as well as providing a unique training and education facility. The Sill’s Rural Growth Hub will support twenty rural enterprises and provide a range of opportunities for local businesses, ensuring an impact across the whole of Northumberland and beyond for many years to come.

Glen Sanderson, Chairman of Northumberland National Park Authority, said: “We are delighted that Minister Rory Stewart has chosen to visit Northumberland National Park right at the start of his new role as Minister of State for Environment and Rural Affairs.

“We are particularly pleased that Minister Stewart has had the opportunity to see at first hand some of the innovative and enterprising work that Northumberland National Park is doing around supporting rural businesses, including our Enterprise Hub at Eastburn and through the Sill project. I hope the Minister went away from his day with us inspired by the new and exciting ways we are working to support rural growth.”

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