The Prince’s Countryside Fund announced £650,000 of investment in rural initiatives to find the farmers of the future, improve rural livelihoods and create thriving rural communities.

Founded by HRH The Prince of Wales to help secure a brighter future for British farmers and the countryside, The Prince’s Countryside Fund will celebrate its 5th anniversary in 2015. In the five years since its inception, The Fund has invested over £5 million in rural Britain.

The countryside is one of our greatest national assets, home to a quarter of the population and producing 60 per cent of the food we eat. But rural communities, so crucial to a thriving countryside, face grave challenges. Rural services continue to decline, an ageing rural population is becoming increasingly isolated and the farming industry is in desperate need of new entrants. Weather has reaped havoc over recent years with the flooding of 2014 having devastating consequences on the livelihoods of many Somerset farmers and communities who need help to get back on track.

The projects funded by The Prince’s Countryside Fund cover three issues facing the countryside: •Finding the Farmers of the Future.

•Improving Rural Livelihoods.

•Creating Thriving Rural Communities.

Helen Aldis, Manager of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, explains; “As we look forward to celebrating the 5th anniversary of The Prince’s Countryside Fund in 2015, it’s incredibly encouraging to see the positive, long term impact of the funding on the projects and communities we have supported to date. £5 million has been distributed to 120 projects across the country, directly benefitting 100,000 people.”

“The countryside faces unprecedented challenges across a wide range of complex issues. But it is our hope, that by investing in these inspiring projects and programmes performing vital and often overlooked work in the countryside, that rural Britain will face a brighter and more prosperous future.”

Farmers of the Future.

Somerset Rural Youth Project South West £36,000.

Priority: Providing training opportunities and apprenticeship schemes in rural careers.

Somerset Rural Youth Project (SRYP) engages young people aged 11-25 in a range of social, educational and recreational opportunities designed to encourage social inclusion and life-long learning. For the past 17 years SRYP has used professional youth work methods to address issues of rural exclusion, isolation and disadvantage that affect young people. This is a new project targeted on up to 60 young people living in the Levels and Moors area of Somerset. It will offer these young people an opportunity to learn a range of rural skills with the opportunity for some to achieve accreditation in Level 1 Work Preparation for Land Based Industries. This informal vocational and learning programme will provide them with environmental and conservation skills. Also as part of this project SRYP will work with young people to gain information on their experiences and perceptions during and since the flooding.

Rural Livelihoods.

Farming Community Network South West £54,643.

Priority: Facilitating the transfer of knowledge for continuous improvement of agricultural businesses.

The Farming Community Network seeks to provide confidential, non-judgemental support to all those in need of help in the farming community, whether the issue is related to the farm business or the farm household. Funding has been awarded for the extension of the Business Change Programme to support 12 farm businesses adversely affected by the devastating flooding on the Somerset Levels in early 2014. The programme will provide professional consultancy, at no charge to the farmer, along with ongoing mentoring support to help the family manage the difficult process of changing their farm business.

Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South West (FWAG SW) South West £50,000 Priority: Facilitating the transfer of knowledge for continuous improvement of agricultural businesses.

The project aims to improve the viability of farming on the Somerset Moors and Levels which have been hit badly with three floods in the last two years. The project will help support farm businesses within the project area to: •Identify, trial and demonstrate soil management practices which can increase organic matter levels giving better soil water retention and infiltration.

•Look at methods for improving soil structures and function and encourage their uptake. This would include trialling the use of more flood resilient grass seed mixes to maintain green cover and improve soil stability.

•Investigate ways to encourage land uses that stop or slow water entering the rivers and maximises natural flood management.

•Identify and develop small local scale water retention projects both within the farmed land and the villages.

To help build sustainable communities for the future the project will look for ways to improve farm productivity and profitability to enable farmers to afford to manage the land in ways that reduce the impact on the lower catchment.

Royal Bath and West of England Society South West £50,000 Priority: Facilitating the transfer of knowledge for continuous improvement of agricultural businesses.

The Royal Bath and West of England Society (RB&W) was formed with the aim of encouraging agriculture, arts, manufacture and commerce. The RB&W has worked closely with Somerset County Council to identify the areas of the 20 year Flood Action Plan (FAP) that the RB&W is best placed to deliver outside the scope of statutory funds. This funding will support the first stage of the project to scope, map and identify the key areas for beneficial changes in land and water management through a new pilot approach to Catchment Sensitive Farming. Delivered by specialist advisors, it will provide integrated practical advice and support to Land Managers enabling them to introduce natural land and flood management practices throughout the catchment. The overall project comprises a range of interdependent activities which will allow the floodplains to contribute to the reduction of flood risk to homes and key infrastructure, while providing a range of additional benefits such as biodiversity, avoidance of carbon flux from peat soils and improvement in water quality.

Dartmoor Hill Farm Project South West £49,762.

Priority: Facilitating the transfer of knowledge for continuous improvement of agricultural businesses.

The Dartmoor Hill Farm Project was set up to ensure a viable future for Dartmoor farmers and the project is co-founded by the Duchy of Cornwall and Dartmoor National Park Authority. Since 2003 it has supported farmers on Dartmoor to establish and run a wide range of projects to add value to their businesses and to increase vocational skills. Funding has been awarded to extend the current programme to include gearing up farmers for new funding opportunities, encouraging business benchmarking schemes, preparing for succession planning and supporting young farmers on Dartmoor by helping them programme and run farm exchange visits and create a sustainable structure.

Cosmic South West £41,660.

Priority: Providing business support and advice to rural businesses.

Cosmic is a social enterprise and IT company, housing web development, technology support, training, mentoring and consultancy in Devon. This project will reach the remaining farm businesses who are digitally excluded. Through delivering workshops on topics including: basic computer skills, buying and selling online and marketing. The aim is to help farm businesses become more efficient. Up to 290 people will benefit.

The Tinder Foundation England £48,610.

Priority: Providing business support and advice to rural businesses.

Tinder Foundation’s project aims to address issues of digital inclusion in rural areas by teaching digital skills to small businesses through one-to-one tuition. The aim of the programme is to up skill rural businesses so they can become more efficient, sustainable and confident. 33% of businesses lack basic online skills, and 29% believe being online isn’t relevant for their business, which is amplified in rural areas where connectivity is also a concern.

The project will be delivered in six locations, with six Digital Advice Hubs (expert local UK online centres experienced in supporting individuals and organisations to improve their digital skills located in North Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, York, Lincolnshire and Torquay). Hubs will deliver one-to-one training to businesses with low or no basic online skills. Training will all be based on individual needs, and self-identified priorities, and could include websites, social media and government processes, eg. HMRC and RPA. 240 rural businesses will be supported by the project overall, covering a broad range of sectors and sizes including sole traders, micro-businesses and small/medium enterprises.

Hubs will work with local partners including LEPs, regional business agencies and partners like NFU and the Countryside Alliance, as well as marketing directly to local organisations. Digital Advice Hubs will be supported with training, resources and materials by Tinder Foundation, who will co-ordinate the project.

  Thriving Rural Communities.

Duloe Community Shop CIC South West £10,000.

Priority: Empowering communities to provide village services.

Duloe is a small village about halfway between Liskeard and Looe with a population of approx. 650. Funding has been awarded for the refurbishment and expansion of the shop’s current storage facility. This will enable the shop to grow and fulfil its full potential.

Countryside Education.

Farming and Countryside Education (FACE) National £50,000.

Continuation funding has been awarded to support the delivery of the ‘Countryside Classroom’ – an online ‘one-stop shop’ for all learning resources in both the classroom and natural environment. Incorporating a partnership of up to 30 organisations the website will compile all current resources in one accessible website for education providers to access alongside a series of regional showcase events.