Supporting the community 'heart' with a business 'head'

WHAT IS THE RURAL BUSINESS SUPPORT GROUP?

The Rural Business Support Group's aims and objectives:

• To create long-term Business to Business relationships and/or Business to Community Groups or Charities relationships

• To introduce business-to-business locally

• To improve all forms of communication and thereby assist the local rural economy and the local community

• To provide not only advice but the affordable skills to get the job done

• To support and improve the chances of survival and success of the rural business community, and in so doing revitalise the community in general

The combined skills and experience of the Group is brought together to make this work in a variety of ways:

• Readily accessible and affordable support of local business professionals

• A 'usable' web portal that includes:

• Comprehensive directory of businesses and organisations

• Member to Member incentives

• Surveys and reports

• Regional forums

• Resources, including services, product, skilled and unskilled labour

• Email helpline between 8am and 6pm weekdays whereby you can "talk" to Support Group staff, and be put in contact with a 'supporter' to help with your business problem. The email address for this will be sent to you after registration.

JOIN THE RURAL BUSINESS SUPPORT GROUP

Annual Membership: £50

Registered charities: Free

To join now go to Registration

To find out more go to Membership

RBSG ONLINE COURSES COMING SOON

The first online course available to Members at discounted rates will be:

Covering a full range of topics that will help your business gain FREE ADVERTISING and PUBLICITY PROMOTIONS through good Media Relations including

• What does PR mean for businesses?

• Tools used in PR

• How to work with journalists

• Media Policy

• Top Ten Tips

More details coming soon.

WHO IS IT?

The Group itself is made up of like-minded, well intentioned, local business professionals, working in and across all market sectors, with untold years of 'hands-on' experience and a depth of knowledge relevant to the rural business community in general. They live in the area . . . they work in the area . . . they know the people . . . and from experience they know what is needed, and they know what can be achieved, especially when working as a 'Group'.

The historical development of the Group is simply that it has been brought about by a demand from the rural business community as well as from community projects which often struggle with the business and legal aspects of project management. Both of these sectors want affordable, constructive support on their doorstep as and when they need it.

THE SUPPORT GROUP REGION

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.