The Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) is opening for grant applications of up to £10,000 on Thursday 18th February thanks to support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery and the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.
Established in 2010 by HRH The Prince of Wales, the PCF aims to ensure that the UK has thriving family farms and rural communities, encouraged and recognised for their role in creating a sustainable future for the countryside and our whole nation. The PCF is seeking innovative projects that build resilience through community-led solutions, from groups and organisations who are working in villages and hamlets with populations of less than 3,000 residents.
This new grant programme opens on Thursday 18th February for rural communities from across the UK to apply for grants of up to £10,000 and will close on Friday 19th March. The PCF particularly encourages applications from Norfolk, Suffolk, South East England and Wales. Applications can be made here: www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/grants.
Keith Halstead, Executive Director at The Prince’s Countryside Fund said: “The Fund’s grant programmes work to empower rural communities to ensure that they flourish, now and in the future. We particularly want to invest in innovative projects in remote rural areas – our Village Survival Guide has some fantastic examples of unleashing the potential of rural communities. We would like to thank players of People’s Postcode Lottery and the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust for their continuing support which has been vital over the past year.”
Richard Mckie, Chair of Godolphin Cross Community Association who received a grant from PCF in December 2020, said: “Godolphin Cross is a rural village in west Cornwall which has no shops, no pub, and no recreation facilities. But with support from The Prince’s Countryside Fund, a new project will operate in early 2021. Local volunteers will provide much needed connections to a host of helping services and provide new opportunities for the most vulnerable people to enjoy the company of others and use new catering facilities at The Old Chapel in the heart of the village.”
