Big Lottery Fund
 Printable version
|
 E-mail this to a friend
|
Lottery £4m ‘SOS’ funding for rural UK villages
Rural villages across the UK are being offered grants of up to £50,000 to breathe new life into their areas as part of a £4m Lottery funding pot, it was announced yesterday.
The money comes 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 and the closure of local amenities.
The grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 are available to help communities develop plans for enterprising community projects that will answer a local need or improve services for local people, 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 starting up community enterprises, including an online support network and details of the 2012 Village SOS roadshow – events across the UK that will offer hands on advice from experts. Application forms for the funding will also be available from 10 April.
The new funding comes as BIG announces 62 community projects across the UK to be offered grants through the first round of the Village SOS scheme. See the full list of projects here.
In the village of Milfield, in Northumberland, Milfield Heavy Horse Association will lead a community project to hold an annual festival centred on different breeds of working horse. It will include demonstrations of the horses, educational displays, and stalls for local farmers and businesses. The project, which has been offered a grant of £29,700, will create an annual attraction that will raise awareness of the village, increase visitor numbers and promote tourism, and enable local businesses to promote and sell their products.
Surfleet Play and Recreation Committee in the village of Surfleet, Lincolnshire, is offered £28,000 to set up a bakery, cafe and pizzeria on an existing recreation ground in the village. Sports and play facilities are available for people to use at a 10 acre site in Surfleet, but the group have set up a committee to further develop this project and make it self-sustaining. They plan to create a bakery then sell the freshly baked goods at the cafe during the day and in the pizzeria during the evenings. The project will provide a meeting hub for local people as well as offer skills training and employment opportunities.
And Appledore Instow Ferry Limited is offered £19,600 to provide a ferry service linking Appledore with the village of Instow, across the River Torridge in Devon. The enterprise will provide a quicker transport option between the villages, generate increased visitor numbers to both villages and encourage inter-village trading.
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours media contact: 07867 500 572
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Ask BIG a question here: https://ask.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Follow BIG on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BigLotteryFund #BIGlf
Find BIG on facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFund
Notes to Editors
- The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
- BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since June 2004 BIG has awarded over £4.4bn.
- The Fund was formally 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 awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment
