A £250,000 fund to support community projects in rural Cumbria has been created.
It has been announced by The Royal Countryside Fund, in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund.
The fund which launches on Thursday, August 1, is open to organisations that have the potential to ‘power up, not prop up’ rural communities and £250,000 is also available for projects in Northumberland.
The initiative – the first county-based programme from The Royal Countryside Fund – aims to revitalise these areas by funding original, innovative projects that address the unique challenges and opportunities they face.
Figures show that the average wage in rural areas is 7.5% less than the urban equivalent, yet residents must spend up to 20% more on everyday items like fuel and transport, while many living in rural communities also face hidden levels of hardship such as loneliness and isolation.
Individual organisations can apply for up to £30,000 each over 18 months to deliver activities designed to boost economic, environmental or social stability.
Applications are encouraged from projects which have the potential to provide financial benefits to the locality, build a stronger sense of community and connectedness and/or increase environmental sustainability.
Keith Halstead, executive director of The Royal Countryside Fund, said: “There is huge untapped potential within rural communities to drive economic prosperity and find innovative solutions to environmental and social challenges.
“This funding opportunity aims to support transformative initiatives that will truly inspire change in rural parts of Cumbria and Northumberland.
“We are particularly excited to see ideas that offer new and original solutions to rural challenges, especially where there is potential to replicate these in other communities and increase the scale of change.
“We are also profoundly grateful for the substantial support from The National Lottery Community Fund, which enables us to significantly enhance our impact.”
The Royal Countryside Fund has so far invested more than £12 million in over 500 rural community-led projects, including Grizedale Arts and The Farmers Arms in Cumbria.
The project, in collaboration with the community, turned an old pub into a rural hub, creating a local space for creative and business projects to run as well as hosting training events and volunteer placements for local people.
Adam Sutherland, director of Grizedale Arts, Cumbria, said: “This wasn’t just about us saving a pub, it was about coming up with a way that existing resources could be better used, combining and collaborating to make more of what we all already have.
“The long-term plan is for how this can benefit and build new communities, reinvigorate and reinvent for a vibrant future.
“We have, between us, created a dynamic, creative hub that not only provides educational opportunities, talks, events and exhibitions but also employment and new models of employment, designed for how we live in and understand rural places.
“It would be brilliant to develop this blueprint with other places with similar issues, thinking along similar lines in the UK and across the globe.”
To apply, visit www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/grants to submit a short video and complete a simple expression of interest form, explaining why the idea is needed in the area, how it will help the community, how it demonstrates innovation and the long-term ambition for the project.
On Wednesday, August 7 at 6pm, The Royal Countryside Fund will host a Cumbria webinar for people interested in applying to ask questions and find out more about the fund and application process. It will be available at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AuJSQyN7SmSGon0VsPwOwA
