12noon on Monday 31 st March 2014

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 ;

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
2. What can be funded
Applications for funding may be submitted for events that meet the criteria and which will take place between 1 st April 2014 and 31 st March 2015
There are 2 categories of event that can be funded through the Tourism Events Fund for
Moyle-based not for profit groups which are:
Small Tourism Events Fund - Events taking place over at least 3 days (2 nights) which demonstrate economic benefits for the area.
Large Tourism Events Fund
– Events that attract more than 15,000 visitors and take place over at least 3 days. Applicants will be required to prove that their event has attracted these numbers of people.
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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)
The following activities/costs will not be funded under this programme;

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
3. How much can you apply for
There are 2 levels of award available based on the 2 categories of Festival detailed above:
Small Tourism Events
Organisations can apply for up to 75% of total eligible costs of the event. It is anticipated that the maxim um grant awarded will be £2,500
Large Tourism Events
Organisations can apply for up to 25% of total eligible costs of the Event.
The level of grant awarded will depend on how the project meets the assessment criteria detailed below and on the available budget. There is no guarantee that successful applicants will receive the amount applied for. It is anticipated that the maximum grant will be £10,000
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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)
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.

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 31 st 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 31 st March 2014.
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
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.
5. 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 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:

Number of visitors staying in paid accommodation 10%

Number of nights staying in paid accommodation 10%

Number of participants/spectators attending the event 20%

Media impact and marketing activity 20%

Ability of group to effectively deliver 10%

Event management 10%

Realistic Budget 10%

Capacity for growth and sustainability 5%

Ability to extend the current tourist season between the months of September
– March
5%
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6. When should you apply
It is anticipated that there will only be one call for applications for Events taking place in 2014-15, however in the event of funding not being fully allocated a second call may be made. The closing date for completed applications for festivals taking place from the 1 st April 2014 to 31 st March 2015 is no later than:
12noon on Monday 31 st March 2014
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 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.
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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:
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.
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