- Area:
- Wales
- Programme:
- Village SOS
- Release date:
- 2 4 2012
Rural communities in Wales are being offered grants of up to £50,000 to start up community business ventures that will breathe new life into their areas. The news comes as seven communities across Wales are awarded funding today.
The money is from Big Lottery Fund’s Village SOS scheme, which aims to inspire a rural revival across the UK and support rural communities that may be struggling with issues such as isolation, ageing populations, and the closure of local amenities.
The grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 are available to help rural communities with less than 3,000 people develop plans for enterprising projects that will answer a local need or improve services for local people. Projects could be anything from community-run shops and pubs to energy or transport schemes, craft or food projects.
People can register at www.villagesos.org.uk where they will find more information and advice about community enterprises, including an online support network. Application forms for the funding will also be available from 10 April.
News of the funding comes as BIG announces around £200,000 (£198,220) worth of grants to seven community enterprise projects in Wales, including Deudraeth CYF in Gwynedd, North Wales and Mawr Development Trust in Swansea, South Wales. The projects are being offered grants through the first round of the Village SOS funding competition, which launched last year (full list of projects at end of release).
Deudraeth CYF in North Wales has been offered £29,391 for their plans to use the funding to establish a community garden in the village of Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd. The project will use local volunteers with the aim of this becoming self sustaining through the growing of local produce, harvesting and then selling and delivering these products as a community enterprise. The enterprise will make itself viable through goods production and sales.
Other projects in Wales that have been offered funding today include the Mawr Development Trust in Swansea, Raven Mad Ltd in Denbighshire and Trap Community Association in Carmarthenshire.
With their award of £30,000, the Mawr Development Trust in the village of Felindre, Swansea, will use the funding to recruit a full time Events Coordinator to promote and run community activities at the Mawr Centre, whilst Raven Mad Ltd in the village of Llanarmon-yn-lâl, Denbighshire, will use the funding to set up self-catering accommodation at the existing community run pub. And in the village of Trap in Dyffryn Cennen, Carmarthenshire, the Trap Community Association will spend £24,844 on creating a community cafe, shop and internet cafe, along with various other refurbishment improvements to their newly acquired village hall.
Big Lottery Fund Wales Director, John Rose, said: “We are delighted to announce funding for some really innovative projects today, which are testament to the strength and creativity that exists in rural communities throughout Wales. I would urge people to explore this unique opportunity to get funding and support to start up a community run enterprise, which will revive their local area and help buck the trend of rural decline.”
The Village SOS Roadshow is also back, providing information, inspiration and advice to rural communities across Wales for FREE. The Roadshow will help people in rural areas to start community enterprises that will breathe new life into their village. As well as hearing inspirational talks, the events will give communities the chance to vote on key issues, talk to sector experts, share with local practitioners and discuss ideas in 1-to-1 surgeries with a range of exhibitors.
The next event in Wales will be held at The Queen’s Hall in Narberth, Pembrokeshire on Tuesday, May 1st. For further information and to register for the event, please log on to www.villagesos.org.uk
A full list of projects being announced today in Wales.
- 36KB
Further Information
Fflur Lawton- Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 02920 678 237
Out of Hours Contact: 07717 513 418
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Notes to Editors
- In Wales, the Big Lottery Fund is rolling out around £100,000 a day in Lottery good cause money, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across Wales most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
- The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
- Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to Good Causes. As a result, over £27 billion has now been raised and more than 370,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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