FARMERS, foresters and rural businesses in the New Forest are to benefit from a £1.4 million EU grant scheme.

The New Forest LEADER Local Action Group, in partnership with New Forest District Council, has recently awarded a £45,000 grant to Tiptoe-based wholesale nursery and horticultural artist Agrumi Ltd. 

Agrumi are custom topiary, topiary frame and hedge sculpture experts - creating everything from a replica of Lady Gaga’s stiletto shoes to designs incorporating wifi and 4G relay transmitters at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. 

Closer to home, Agrumi created the life-sized topiary animals on show at Paultons Park.

The funding means they can build a new, dedicated topiary workshop where the giant structures will be created. 

The workshop will provide the business with the room to grow and to create an additional two full time jobs. 

Director Stanley Jackson said: “The grant will be a game changer for us. We’re a small firm with big ambitions. 

"Our success so far has been built from hard work and good market knowledge.

"Now we’re ready to move to the next level and LEADER is helping us achieve our goals."

The Government has recently confirmed that UK businesses will continue to benefit from EU funded programmes until the UK formally leaves the EU.