The £1.2 million scheme was launched by the East Midlands Development Agency, the Peak District National Park Authority and the Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership to boost rural businesses and communities.

As part of the Live & Work Rural programme, entrepreneurs will be offered advice on how start a company in the area and existing small enterprises will be given support to apply for grants from local and regional funding bodies.

Furthermore, specialised guidance on using the Peak District’s unique conditions to help grow a business will be delivered by Business Link, while firms will be shown how to cut their carbon footprint and improve their green credentials.

Narendra Bajaria, chair of the Peak District National Park Authority, comments: ‘While many rural businesses are by their very nature small in size when put together they make a huge contribution to the East Midlands economy and provide more than 14,000 jobs.’

The South West Regional Development Agency recently launched a new £10 million fund to support the area’s growing companies, with half of the financing earmarked for enterprises in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.