grants Archives - The Royal Countryside Fund

Articles Tagged with: grants

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.

October 23, 2024

The Royal Countryside Fund announces £170,000 of new support for farming groups across the UK

These farm support groups are trusted partners of the RCF and are embedded in the rural communities they serve. This new funding will go towards a range of sustainable projects to help create a successful future for farming families. The RCF’s Farm Support Group Initiative is supported by Waitrose & Partners and the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.

The nine farm support groups which are receiving RCF funding are:

Dartmoor Hill Farm Project, which has been awarded £20,000 to allow it to provide trusted and accessible advice to local farmers at a vital time, as they transition from direct payments to the new Environmental Land Management schemes.
Exmoor Hill Farming Network, which has been awarded £20,000 to fund its programmes to help enhance farmer health and wellbeing, ease rural isolation, and prepare the next generation of local farmers.
Farm Cornwall, which has been awarded £20,000 to support and advise local farmers on new environmental schemes and continue the charity’s role as a source of support for farmers and their families as they deal with the stresses and strains of the industry.
Herefordshire Rural Hub, which has been awarded £20,000 to grow the farm support group and further develop its service, so that it can bring its help to more local farmers.
The Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI), which has been awarded £15,000 to help run its existing programme and manage the delivery of the RCF’s Farm Business Resilience Programme.
Rural Support, which has been awarded £15,000 to provide more support for family farms across Northern Ireland, to help them weather economic difficulties and combat the rural mental health crisis.
The Farmer Network Ltd, which has been awarded £20,000 to continue to run a not-for-profit support network, helping farmers across a large area of northern England.
The Farming Life Centre, which has been awarded £20,000 to invest in their organisation to ensure it continues to meet the needs of farmers in Derbyshire.
Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services Ltd (UTASS) , which has been awarded £20,000 to continue to fund its activity in the north east of England and allow it to bring vital support to local farmers.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Royal Countryside Fund, said: “This funding is about powering-up family farms and giving them the support they need to survive and thrive. Our aim is to support rural communities across the UK, helping to sustain a living landscape of working family farms and prosperous rural life. Farming can be so different across the UK, so it’s important to us that we support locally-run farm support groups who are embedded in the communities they serve and therefore know what will make the biggest difference in their local area.

“Farmers are currently facing a whole raft of challenges and we know it’s a difficult time for so many families, so it’s vital our funding goes to where it will make the most impact. The farm-support groups we’ve chosen to fund are truly innovative and collaborative organisations that are working with their local communities to find new and sustainable ways to build a better future. These are all community-led support groups which can help farmers find the right opportunities, look after their health and wellbeing, and promote sustainable, economic, social and community development.

“I want to thank our supporters and corporate partners who help us fund this change. To all these generous organisations and individuals, I want to say: thank you, your support is making a real difference.”

To find out more about the RCF’s Farm Support Group network, please visit: http://www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/farmsupport

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: