TOURISM EVENTS FUND (MOYLE BASED ORGANISATIONS) GUIDANCE NOTES 2013-14 SECOND CALL FOR APPLICATIONS TO SMALL TOURISM EVENTS FUND For events taking place between 1st September 2013 and 31st March 2014 Closing date 12noon on Monday 12th August 2013 Tourism Events Fund Guidance Notes for Applicants 1. Introduction Moyle District Council is committed to supporting event organisers, based in the Moyle District Council area with new/or existing events, which may have a single theme, that attract visitors to the area and enhance the profile of the District through positive media coverage. To this end, Moyle District Council has developed the following event funding guidelines to provide financial assistance to events in Moyle. Moyle District Council is seeking to provide financial support for events that align themselves to the key priority areas as outlined in the Tourism Handbook 2011-2015. These priority areas are as follows; Cultural tourism, Food tourism and Sports and activities (tourism related). The event must also meet the following objectives; 2. Generate economic benefits for the Moyle area through increased visitor numbers and spend Encourage events to extend the tourism season Demonstrate the capacity to grow in terms of spectator and participant numbers and media profile Enhance the visitor experience Enhance the profile and appeal of the Moyle area What can be funded Applications for funding may be submitted for events that meet the criteria and which will take place between 1st September 2013 and 31st March 2014 Small Tourism Events Fund - Events taking place over at least 3 days (2 nights) which demonstrate economic benefits for the area. Eligible costs may include Project related costs; Insurance, venue hire, performance fees, transport, equipment hire/purchase, signage, advertising, marketing and media costs, printing, administration (stationery, postage etc) 1 The following activities/costs will not be funded under this programme; 3. The promotion of religious or political interests Events of a commercial nature, organised to make a profit Awards ceremonies or industry events Festivals that are social events for an organisation Projects/events which have the primary purpose of raising money for charities. Applications for specific projects which are clearly the responsibility of other statutory bodies. Publications in the form of books, CD's or DVD's Food and beverages Cash prizes Core running costs How much can you apply for Small Tourism Events Organisations can apply for up to 75% of total eligible costs of the event. It is anticipated that the maximum grant awarded will be £2,500 4. Who can apply The applicant organisation must be a non profit taking voluntary or community organisation based in Moyle District Council area and the event must take place in Moyle District Council area. The organisation must have a governing document (Constitution or Articles and Memorandum of Association) that has been properly adopted. Membership of the organisation must be open to all regardless of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnic identity, religious belief, political opinion, marital status and with or without dependents. The organisation must have a bank or building society account and keep a proper record of its accounts. Festivals that are eligible for or who have applied to the Community Festivals Fund (separate guidelines apply) 2 General Criteria All applications should take a responsible approach to the organisation and staging of their event and ensure that: Appropriate insurance is in place to cover the preparation and staging of the event Due care is taken to all health and safety issues Relevant risk assessments have been completed Statutory consents and approvals have been obtained where appropriate Measures are in place to mitigate negative environmental impact Policies covering child protection and vulnerable adults are in place and evidence of appropriate checks is made available for inspection All applicants should be prepared to provide to Council, at least 7 days prior to the commencement of the event, copies of all relevant documentation. Failure to do so will result in the withdrawal of any grant offer. 5. Funding will normally be paid retrospectively. Evidence of expenditure, detailed on a claim form (including original invoices/receipts) will be required by Council prior to the release of funding. All claims must be submitted no later than 31st December for events taking place April 2013 to December 2013. Where the events have taken place from January to March 2014 they must be submitted by the 31st March 2014. Where an event is responsible for the employment of staff, - employment conditions and practices must comply with all the relevant employment legislations and should take account of current good practice in relation to employment rights and equal opportunities. Under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 Moyle District Council encourages applicants to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity and to have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group. How will decisions be made Assessment Criteria: Event organisers will be required to demonstrate how their event meets the criteria shown below. The responsibility to provide sufficient detail in any application for Council’s consideration rests with the 3 applicant. Assessment of applications will be made using a system that measures and scores each of the criteria listed below out of a total of ten points. Criteria will be weighted as indicated in brackets. The criteria for assessing applications are as follows: 6. Number of visitors staying in paid accommodation 10% Number of nights staying in paid accommodation10% Number of participants/spectators attending the event 20% Media impact and marketing activity20% Ability of group to effectively deliver 10% Event management10% Realistic Budget 10% Capacity for growth and sustainability 5% Ability to extend the current tourist season between the months of September – March 5% When should you apply Due to funding not being fully allocated not being fully allocated in the first round a second call for applications is being made. The closing date for completed applications for festivals taking place from the 1st September 2013 to 31st March 2014 is no later than: 12noon on Monday 12th August 2013 Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 7. How to make an application Before completing an application form you should make sure that you have read the guidelines and are eligible to apply. Please ensure that you have completed the application form in full, that it is signed by two members of your organisation and that you have enclosed additional information as outlined in the checklist at 4 the back of the application form. Only applications completed on the standard application form with the appropriate enclosures will be considered. Following completion of the initial checks and receipt of any additional information, if an application is considered eligible, it will be assessed by a selection panel, consisting of one Councillor from each of the three electoral areas, the Chair and Vice-chair and two relevant officers, who will make a recommendation as to whether or not the application is successful and the level of funding. The recommendation will then go for final approval at a full Council meeting. 8. If you are successful what happens next Letter of Offer You will be informed in writing that your application has been successful. Included with this will be an acceptance form and the terms and conditions of funding. Before any grant can be paid, any preconditions of assistance must be met as stated in the letter of offer. Insurance Appropriate and adequate insurance must be in place for the duration of the project or activity. It is the organisations responsibility to ensure that any individual or organisation it engages is adequately insured. Risk Assessment Any applicant who is successful in securing funding will be asked to provide a risk assessment before any payment is made. This indicates that measures have been considered and introduced to minimise any potential risks during the project. Publicity The organisation must acknowledge the support of Moyle District Council in all publicity material relating to the activity for which the grant was awarded. Where possible use the Moyle Heart of the Causeway Coast and Glens Tourism Logo or for press releases the strapline ‘in the Heart of the Causeway Coast and Glens’. Evaluation When your project is finished, we will ask you to complete an Evaluation Form within 3 months of completion of the event. An Evaluation Form will be provided with the grant. You should provide documentary evidence that the project/event has taken place e.g. newspaper articles, photos, programmes etc. Successive year funding will be available at the discretion of Moyle District Council and will be dependent upon observation of funding conditions. 9. What happens if your application is unsuccessful An appeals system is available if an application is unsuccessful and consists of two stages: 5 Stage 1: Applicants must appeal in writing within 10 working days of receipt of the written Council decision. At this stage you will be advised of the basis for the decision. A meeting with the relevant officer/ assessment panel will be arranged if further clarity is required. Stage 2: If you are still not satisfied, the matter will be referred to the Chief Executive. Moyle District Council reserves the right to amend, for whatever reason, any of the criteria and application procedures. Government Funding Database Please be aware we are required by DCAL to check the Government Funding Database (GFD) prior to making awards in order to avoid duplication of funding. If successful, then details of the grant awarded by Council will be inputted onto the Government Funding Database. If already registered on GFD please state your organisation’s Unique Reference Number (URN) on your application form to assist with this process. Otherwise groups should log on at http://govfundingpublic.nics.gov.uk to register as a Voluntary & Community Organisation. If you have any queries when completing the application form, please contact: to: Tourism Officer, Ballycastle Visitor Information Centre, Portnagree House, 14 Bayview Road, Ballycastle, BT54 6BT. Tel: 028 2076 1271 Fax: 028 2076 2515 ccarey@moyle-council.org This document is available on request in a range of formats, such as large print, Braille, CD-ROM. It may also be downloaded from Moyle District Council’s website. 6