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Royal help for rural people
SOME £250,000 has been made available by the Royal Countryside Fund (RCF) for rural community organisations, it has been announced. The grants, which can be up to £25,000, are part of the RCF’s Supporting Rural Communities programme and the organisation is ‘keen to hear from people whose community projects are responding to specific needs in their village or town’. Examples of needs are isolation, lack of access to services, training or employment, as well as projects that improve the ‘sustainability and resilience of countryside communities’. ‘We want to hear how your project is responding to demand from people in your area and how it will make a real difference to the lives of people living in your local community,’ adds Maddy Taylor, head of operations for the RCF.
An example is the Chopwell Regeneration CIO (community-interest organisation) in Tyne & Wear, which was awarded £25,000 to establish a front-of-house and administration apprenticeship programme to increase the skills, employability and confidence of young people and low-skilled adults in the area. The grant will support 70 volunteers and increase ‘vital community services’.
RCF grants enable rural communities to become more self-sufficient
‘We’re delighted to have received this award from the Royal Countryside Fund,’ said
