Business Innovation Laboratory

CoLabora Coworking Spaces in Rural Areas 

Coworking has become popular in urban areas and increasingly so in rural areas.

CoLabora is a transnational project with partners from across Europe to explore the economic benefits of creating coworking spaces in rural areas and gain a greater understanding of best practice in terms of both setting up and running coworking spaces.

CoLabora Coworking Spaces

Commercial Kitchen

The project is to explore the concept of a commercial kitchen in the rural Vale.  This would be a kitchen for hire by producers needing a larger working space on an ad hoc basis.  The kitchen would be equipped with specialist, expensive or bulky catering equipment which small producers may not normally have access to.  This would enable them to develop their ideas in a registered space.  Funding has initially been awarded for a feasibility study to explore requirements. 

If you would like to hire a commercial grade kitchen on an hourly or daily basis, then please complete our survey so that we can learn more about your specific requirements.

Producers Survey

Creating Inspiring workspaces

The project is to explore opportunities to develop flexible workspace in the rural Vale using underused / redundant rural buildings. A network of businesses searching for workspaces and property owners who have underused / redundant buildings have come together to learn and explore opportunities to create new inspiring workspaces in the rural Vale.

Creating Inspiring Workspaces

Workspace opportunities in the Vale

Glamorgan Smallholders

Funding has been granted to the newly formed Glamorgan Smallholder group (initially only with a couple of members) to develop a new larger group of smallholders to come together to share ideas, practices and experiences.  This will involve holding regular meetings for an initial period of approximately 6 months with guest speakers and share marketing opportunities for promoting rural Vale products, countryside and activities.

Food Vale Engagement Event

The Food Vale Partnership is a new group exploring the value of food, and the possibility of becoming a Sustainable Food City/ Region.

The aim of the event was to raise awareness of the group and engage a wider group of food stakeholders. A summary of the event has been captured in the visual minutes.

Visual Minutes

School Catering Supply Chain

The catering department of the Vale of Glamorgan Council is creating a Local Authority Trading Company. Once established, the company will not be bound by the same procurement rules as the council and can therefore source produce locally.

This study explores the feasibility of sourcing local produce for school dinners in the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

School Catering Supply Chain Feasibility Study

Business to Business

This project will explore the current offer of B2B support within the Vale, where businesses go for support and what they need from this.

There may be an opportunity to create a catalogue/ online presence for businesses displaying the B2B support that is on offer.

Business to Business Full Report

Business to Business Survey Summary

Livestock Market Study

A report to look at the needs of local farmers and determine whether a viable livestock market is needed in the region has been published.

Livestock Market Study

Food Assembly

The project from Artisan Kitchen aims to set up a food assembly in Cowbridge allowing people to buy local produce on line.  People can go on-line, purchase and pay for their locally produced goods, which they can then collect from the Assembly on a dedicated evening every week. 

Funding has been awarded to pay for the weekly venue and room hire, packaging, reusable cotton shopping bags, cookery demonstrations, marketing and promotional video.