The Prince’s Countryside Fund has awarded £400,000 of grant funding to 12 community-led projects across the UK, which will benefit people living and working in rural areas.

The Prince’s Countryside Fund awards grants twice a year to local, grassroots organisations, and since 2010 has distributed more than £9 million in funding. The Fund’s mission is to help ensure a vibrant rural economy with a thriving and resilient farming sector at its heart, and its grant programme is a major focus of activity to achieve this. 

The diverse range of projects that have been awarded grant funding will create locally-delivered solutions to the challenges facing rural areas – from improving the prospects for farm businesses, to sustaining communities through the reintroduction of essential services, to driving economic vibrancy and opportunity in the countryside by breaking down barriers to employment. 

Announcing the grant recipients, Claire Saunders, Director of The Prince’s Countryside Fund said: “The applications we received for this round of funding demonstrate the breadth of challenges face by those living in rural areas, and the creativity of organisations in working together and coming up with the solutions to solve them. We are delighted to be able to help projects that will make a real difference in rural areas.

“From funding a new engine for the Bay Search and Rescue team in Cumbria, to helping villages in Somerset open community run shops allowing them access to essential services, to providing access to training for young entrants to agriculture in Powys – The Prince’s Countryside Fund is committed to improving the quality of life, in all aspects, for all people living and working in our great British countryside.”

The Fund will be open for grant applications from April 30th to June 14th 2018. More details can be found at www.princescountryside.fund.org.uk/grants. 

Recipients include:

The Farmer Network Ltd which is a farmer owned not-for-profit Company, limited by guarantee. The aim of the company is to support our 1000 farmer members to help sustain their businesses and maintain the environment, landscape and rural communities of the Lake District, Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales. Services include a group fuel buying scheme, projects aimed at developing young farmers' skills and facilitating knowledge transfer.

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The Network has been awarded two grants. The first grant is to explore the potential to set up new Farmer Networks in Northumberland and the North Yorkshire Moors following interest received in these areas. The second grant is for the continuation of the Business Support Programme for Young Farmers which encourages 18-30 year olds, to explore, test and develop a farming-related business idea in or close to the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria.

Brecknock Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs which is concerned with the personal development of young people and seeks to achieve its objectives through a wide range of programmes which the members have the responsibility for designing and management of the delivery.

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Funding has been awarded for a three project to provide training and skills opportunities for 180 young people who are currently working in agriculture or want to work in agriculture.

Exmoor Hill Farming Network The purpose of this project is to improve the viability, efficiency and sustainability of Exmoor farming businesses through knowledge-transfer, training, information-sharing, cooperation and peer-group support to safeguard farming businesses, rural employment and landscape management.

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The project will achieve this by continuing and extending the work of the Exmoor Hill Farming Network (est. 2014), particularly amongst young farmers, transforming new learning and skills into real change. A further focus will be to help Exmoor farmers adapt and be more resilient in the future.

Additional funding is available outside of this period for community projects aimed at reducing isolation in deprived rural areas through the Rural Four project funded by Players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Please contact The Prince’s Countryside Fund Grants Manager, Clare Crookenden, on clare.crookenden@bitc.org.uk for more information. 

To read the full details of projects awarded grants in this round of funding, please click here.