A new £1.5million capital grant to grow businesses and create jobs within the tourism sector in rural Gloucestershire has been launched.

Organisations are being invited to submit expressions of interest to the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) Growth Programme.

The grant is applicable for land-owners, groups representing rural communities, charities and public bodies.

The overarching aim of the fund is to encourage visitors to spend more time and money in the rural parts of the GFirst LEP area.

In additional to the new funding RDPE, capital grants are currently available to rural micro and small businesses from the LEADER programme for projects across all sectors that create new jobs and increase productivity or bring money into the rural economy.

GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has worked with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to secure the financial allocation through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), part of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF).

David Owen, chief executive of GFirst LEP, said: "Rural businesses play a key role in maximising opportunities in tourism to strengthen our rural economy. The award of further grant funding will bring much needed support to rural business to enable them to expand and grow."

A free workshop is being held on Wednesday, 5 April at The Growth Hub, which will include a step by step guide to applying for funding, and delivering a project under both the Growth Programme and Leader Programme.