Between 2002 and 2005 Ledbury and the surrounding villages benefited from a Government funded Market Towns Initiative programme. This very successful programme, was run by representatives from a range of local organisations – supported by staff from Herefordshire Council – who all came together under the banner of the “Ledbury and Area Regeneration Partnership.”

Over 50 projects benefited from this £1m programme, with each receiving funding of between 250 and 45,000 allocated by the Regional Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands , and administered by the Partnership.

The Partnership realised that once it had allocated the funding from the Programme and ensured that the projects were professionally administered and monitored its “raison d’etre” was at an end.

However, it felt strongly that it did not just want to ‘switch out the lights’ and walk away.

To do that would have meant losing many of the benefits of the programme – including excellent partnership working.  In December 2004 the full membership of the Partnership formally approved that a new organisation called the Ledbury & Area Development Trust Limited should be established – as a Development Trust, and as a Company Limited by Guarantee.

The Ledbury & Area Development Trust Limited was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 5th January 2005.

We have a particular focus on helping the younger generation to obtain higher skilled, higher income employment, and to find affordable accommodation.