The Big Lottery Fund is opening a £4m scheme aimed at tackling poverty in rural areas, the funding for the grants is made possible by players of the National Lottery.
This is the second round of the programme which first launched in 2017. The programme is aimed at groups of organisations working in partnership to tackle the issues which matter most to people in rural communities living in poverty. The closing date is 1 October 2019 giving nearly a year to apply. The long lead in is to give applicants time to work closely with other organisations and with people suffering poverty in rural areas in order to plan their project. Projects will support communities with 10,000 people or less, mainly within Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Powys, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire or Monmouthshire.
Rona Aldrich, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund’s Rural Poverty Committee explained:
“We are looking for innovative projects that address the needs people have identified within their own communities. They could be struggling to meet basic needs or to access services, or they perhaps don’t have reasonable living conditions or might be isolated from others. Rural communities are diverse and we hope that this programme will give people an incentive to get together and work in partnership with each other and local organisations to find solutions for common issues they identify.”
“Access is often a major issue for rural communities, so we could be looking at solutions which take account of transport, IT connectivity and green energy. We are looking forward to seeing what creative solutions communities propose for funding.”
Margaret Sutherland is Chief Officer of the South Denbighshire Community Partnership which successfully applied for Funding during the first round of the rural programme, she told us
“Rural Poverty is complicated. Our project is being delivered with Citizens Advice who work with local people for example on reducing debt. It’s also about fuel poverty – we are facilitating a community benefit organisation to help local people take advantage of a hydro project. There are also issues in relation to access to services, to give an example; the nearest hospital is 20 miles away, the Medical Centre serves a wide geographical area and public transport is limited, there is enormous demand for GP appointments in the time between when the bus drops people off and before it goes back. We have organised transport which gives people greater choice and alleviates some of the pressure caused by these peaks and troughs on the Medical Centre Services.
“Our consultation identified that alongside the issue of isolation; some people were only having a hot meal twice a week, naturally this will negatively impact on their health and wellbeing. The funding enables us to provide services and activities that address these real needs. Providing flexible transport solutions to access lunch clubs, social activities, medical appointments, excursions, meals on wheels and advice services enables isolated people to live independently whilst participating in community life.”
To find out more about how to apply for the new round of grants you can visit our website atwww.biglotteryfund.org.uk/ruralprogramme . If you live in a rural community and would like information about what is happening with the organisations funded last year please contact the Big Lottery Fund Wales enquiry line.
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