community projects Archives - The Royal Countryside Fund

Articles Tagged with: community projects

January 10, 2025

Royal Countryside Fund launches new grant programme for rural communities

The new, UK-wide grant programme from the RCF opens for applications on the 10^th January 2025 and organisations have until the 21^st February 2025 to apply for funding to create tangible change in their community. To apply, organisations will need to send a short video and complete a simple ‘Expression of Interest’ form on the RCF website. In these videos applicants should let the RCF know who they are, what they aim to do, why their project is needed and how it will help their community. Applicants should also set out how their project meets the RCF’s funding priorities.

The RCF’s grant programme is focused on supporting projects that:

Help keep young people in the countryside
Power-up rural communities
Increase environmental sustainability
Build emergency resilience in rural areas

Just over 17% of the population (10 million people) live in rural areas in England, according to UK government figures. The figure for Scotland is similar (17%), but the figures are higher in in Northern Ireland (36%), and in Wales where 21% of the population live in small villages or hamlets with a population of less than 5,000. Rural depopulation, particularly of younger people, continues to be a major threat to these communities across the UK.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director, RCF, said: “Rural communities are facing immense economic and social uncertainty across the UK. In some areas, the aging of the rural population and the lack of opportunities for younger people are threatening the very future of these communities. There are no easy solutions, but we want to find and fund innovative initiatives that can ‘power up’ rather than ‘prop up’ these places. We want to work directly with community-led organisations who are tackling the local issues they face by giving them the funding they need to bring their project to fruition.”

Projects must be community-led and will need to demonstrate that they actively listen to, and understand, the needs of their community. All applicants for this latest programme must be a properly constituted, community-led organisation based in a rural area with a turnover of less than £500,000.

To date, the RCF has invested more than £12 million in over 500 rural community-led projects.

For full eligibility details, please see the RCF website here.

December 6, 2024

RCF celebrates Grampound Community Shop’s 10-year anniversary

Grampound Community Shop 10 year anniversary

In 2012, the only grocery store in Grampound was set to close, leaving nearby residents increasingly isolated and without easy access to a shop. In response, the local community came together to establish a community shop, offering shares in the project to over 220 residents, and working hard to secure planning permission and raise the necessary money.

The new community shop opened in November 2014, thanks in part to funding from the RCF. Since then, a dedicated team of volunteers have run the shop, stocking the shelves, carrying out maintenance and managing the finances. Over the last 10 years the Grampound residents have maintained their shop with energy and enthusiasm, improving the facilities, and providing a self-sustaining service for the benefit of the whole community. Today the project is widely regarded as a highly successful enterprise and its team is frequently asked to mentor other similar start-ups.

Alongside the core retail business, the shop provides other valuable facilities, including a weekly Post Office service and a way for locals to pick up medical prescriptions. It is also a vital hub for the community, where residents can socialise and volunteers can develop their skills.

RCF trustee, Chris Sparrow, attended the shop’s 10-year anniversary celebration on November 2^nd to offer his congratulations on behalf of the charity. With over 100 people in attendance, the joyous atmosphere at the event was proof of the affection the Grampound community has for its shop.

Pippa Fry, Rural Communities Engagement Manager at the RCF, said: “With our RCF grants we want to fund sustainable, community-led solutions that ‘power-up’ up communities, increasing their resilience. Helping rural communities to thrive is essential for the future of our countryside.

“We know what a massive difference funding can make to the day-to-day lives of people in rural areas and the Grampound Community Shop is a fantastic example of this. The shop’s 10-year anniversary celebration shows just how valuable and cherished this institution has become. We wish them all the best for the next 10 years of their journey!”

To find out more about the RCF’s work with rural communities and to see information about upcoming grants, click here.

October 28, 2024

RCF funding supports community centre on the Isle of Lewis

Run by the Carloway Community Association, the new local hub was developed on the site of the former Carloway School building and was supported with over £1.3 million in funding from several organisations, including £25,000 from the RCF.

The community centre is now home to the village’s only shop, Bùth Chàrlabhaigh, and the RCF’s grant supports the employment of a shop manager for this important community hub.

As well as providing services for tourists, the community centre offers office space and accommodation for local organisations, such as Comann Eachdraidh Chàrlabhaigh (Carloway Historical Society), Urras Oighreachd Chàrlabhaigh (Carloway Estate Trust), the youth club, and Carloway Choir, as well as hosting Gaelic classes, craft fairs and sporting events. The centre also hosts the annual Carloway Agricultural and Heavy Games Show.

The centre was officially opened this summer by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, who joined Iain Macaulay, Lord-Lieutenant of the Western Isles, for a tour of the upgraded facilities. During her visit, The Princes Royal met with several volunteers, local community groups, and Bùth Chàrlabhaigh staff before unveiling a plaque to commemorate the opening of the Community Centre and her visit.

Mairi Steele, Chair of Carloway Community Association, said: “Our community centre has been operating for just over a year, and we’ve been busy with a range of activities and events, bringing that community spirit back to the area. We are delighted that the Princess Royal was able to find the time to visit our centre and give us an opportunity to officially celebrate its opening.

“Since the closure of Carloway School in 2013, the local community has worked very hard to raise funds to transform the site into a sustainable, high-quality, community-owned facility. We’re thankful to have the invaluable support from organisations such as The Royal Countryside Fund who share our vision and values.”

Pippa Fry, Rural Communities Engagement Manager at the RCF, said: “The RCF is one of very few funders focused specifically on rural communities across the UK. Our mission is to empower rural communities to develop community-led solutions that increase their resilience and sustainability.

“Our charity supports projects, such as the Carloway Community Centre, to help rural communities thrive and contribute to a sustainable future for the countryside.”

To find out more about the RCF’s work with rural communities and to see information about upcoming grants, click here.

September 6, 2023

24 hours on North Ronaldsay

The RCF’s total investment of £32,000 enables the community on the island to develop their future through establishing a “Gateway House” for newcomers to the island; turning plastic litter from the beach and domestically into resaleable products, starting with coasters; to conducting a feasibility study on repairs to the drystone wall which keeps the famous North Ronaldsay sheep on the foreshore so they can continue their seaweed diet, which is vital to the survival of this rare breed.

Keith thanked Luke Fraser of the North Ronaldsay Trust for hosting his visit and Olly Gibb of Transition North Ronaldsay CIC for the early morning demonstration of the plastic recycling kit.

Keith stayed at the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage and visited the Wool Mill, Lighthouse Bakery & Café and the Bird Observatory and can thoroughly recommend all to anyone visiting North Ronaldsay.

Keith also stopped by BBC Radio Orkney this morning to talk more about how we are furthering our support for many people living and working in rural Scotland.

If you have a project that is working to support your rural community’s needs, we will be opening for applications to our next round of grant funding on Friday 8th September.

Find out more about our grant funding

July 20, 2023

11 rural community projects boosted with over £200,000

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One of the community organisations receiving funding; The Blackmore Vale Charity – The Vale Pantry project in Dorset.

At The Royal Countryside Fund, our vision is for rural communities to achieve their own solutions to build the social infrastructure and local services they need. Too often, rural communities are without access to transport, jobs, and community spaces, increasing isolation and mental health issues.

As a charity, we seek to help those who live and work in rural communities across the UK to achieve their own solutions to the issues they face. Whether its developing environmental initiatives such as reducing food waste, providing skills training to improve employment opportunities for young people, or creating accessible community spaces, the community commitment behind each project means that thousands of people will directly benefit from the RCF’s support in a way that is meaningful to them and their communities. Since being founded in 2010, The Royal Countryside Fund has invested more than £11.2 million in over 480 rural community-led projects.

One project which has been recognised for its sustainability values and the impact the project will have on the community is Eigg Tree Nursery. Rebecca Long, IEHT Development Manager for Isle of Eigg, says “The funding will enable Eigg’s Tree Nursery to become a self-sustaining community enterprise. Supporting local enterprise and employment, the Tree Nursery helps sustain native species, producing and protecting much more biodiverse woodlands and habitats. This helps protect Eigg’s future ecology and expands the island’s circular economy, all while we work towards carbon net zero.”

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Royal Countryside Fund says: “Living in rural Britain has significant challenges – we hear first-hand how isolation and a lack of local services and facilities are detrimental to the quality of rural life. Countryside communities need practical and grounded support in responding to these challenges, to build themselves a secure and sustainable future.

Our investment in rural communities enables those who live and work in villages and the countryside across the UK to succeed as we fund their solutions to local issues.

I would like to thank our partners and supporters, particularly the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery and Waitrose & Partners, as their help is vital to the success of our Supporting Rural Communities grant programme.”

A total of £202,820 was awarded in this round to the following 11 rural projects: