The search is on for villages with business ideas.

Village SOS is a major new initiative from the Big Lottery (BIG) and the BBC. Villages are challenged to come up with brilliant ideas for new businesses to help revive their communities, many of which are seeing rural life eroded by economic pressures and the closure of local amenities. Village SOS invites rural communities with lots of enthusiasm and a great business idea - from retailing to manufacturing, the arts to leisure - to apply for Lottery funding to help breathe new life into their area, create new jobs and improve the quality of life for local people.

Eighteen villages will be shortlisted to receive a development grant of up to £10,000, and will choose an enterprising ‘Village Champion’ to work with to advance their ideas. In May 2010 six of these projects will then be awarded Lottery funding of up to £400,000 each and their respective Village Champions will move into the villages for a year to help them turn their business idea into a reality. During this time they will be filmed for a prime time BBC One series set to air in winter 2010.

Applications are welcomed from rural villages with fewer than 3,000 people that have an idea for a new business. Any kind of voluntary or community group can apply. Where there is no suitable organisation in the village already, a group of like-minded people can apply through a newly formed group with the help of BIG. 

The Village Champions will be recruited through a nationwide search run jointly by the BBC and Make Your Mark. It is hoped the Village Champion role will attract the attention of lots of enterprising people – from entrepreneurs through to successful project managers and community activists. So if you or someone you know has vision, charisma and a can-do attitude and a track record of running a successful enterprise or project, why not apply?

The deadline for both villages and Village Champions to apply is 14 August.

If you are interested in putting your village forward or in becoming a Village Champion visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/villagesos or www.bbc.co.uk/villagesos phone 0844 88 88 677 or email general.enquiries@biglotteryfund.org.uk