Articles Tagged with: rural

RCF funding supports community centre on the Isle of Lewis

Run by the Carloway Community Association, the new local hub was developed on the site of the former Carloway School building and was supported with over £1.3 million in funding from several organisations, including £25,000 from the RCF.

The community centre is now home to the village’s only shop, Bùth Chàrlabhaigh, and the RCF’s grant supports the employment of a shop manager for this important community hub.

As well as providing services for tourists, the community centre offers office space and accommodation for local organisations, such as Comann Eachdraidh Chàrlabhaigh (Carloway Historical Society), Urras Oighreachd Chàrlabhaigh (Carloway Estate Trust), the youth club, and Carloway Choir, as well as hosting Gaelic classes, craft fairs and sporting events. The centre also hosts the annual Carloway Agricultural and Heavy Games Show.

The centre was officially opened this summer by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, who joined Iain Macaulay, Lord-Lieutenant of the Western Isles, for a tour of the upgraded facilities. During her visit, The Princes Royal met with several volunteers, local community groups, and Bùth Chàrlabhaigh staff before unveiling a plaque to commemorate the opening of the Community Centre and her visit.

Mairi Steele, Chair of Carloway Community Association, said: “Our community centre has been operating for just over a year, and we’ve been busy with a range of activities and events, bringing that community spirit back to the area. We are delighted that the Princess Royal was able to find the time to visit our centre and give us an opportunity to officially celebrate its opening.

“Since the closure of Carloway School in 2013, the local community has worked very hard to raise funds to transform the site into a sustainable, high-quality, community-owned facility. We’re thankful to have the invaluable support from organisations such as The Royal Countryside Fund who share our vision and values.”

Pippa Fry, Rural Communities Engagement Manager at the RCF, said: “The RCF is one of very few funders focused specifically on rural communities across the UK. Our mission is to empower rural communities to develop community-led solutions that increase their resilience and sustainability.

“Our charity supports projects, such as the Carloway Community Centre, to help rural communities thrive and contribute to a sustainable future for the countryside.”

To find out more about the RCF’s work with rural communities and to see information about upcoming grants, click here.


The Royal Countryside Fund gathers farmers in Lancashire to explore biodiversity

The session saw 24 farming families attend from across the county with active participation and discussion throughout. 

The workshop, delivered by Yorkshire farmer and consultant Fraser Hugill, provided attendees with valuable insights into how biodiversity can benefit both farm ecosystems and business sustainability. Emphasising the importance of biodiversity in farming systems, the workshop offered practical steps farmers can take to protect and enhance habitats. The session also outlined available funding opportunities to support biodiversity on farms.

Attendees discussed what species and habitats they would like to see in the future and how taking photographs throughout the year can create a good baseline record of what is already present.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Royal Countryside Fund, said: “It was encouraging to see so many farmers attend at the end of a busy day on their farm demonstrating how much enthusiasm and interest there is for this topic, as biodiversity not only forms an essential part of our farming systems, but also contributes to the overall quality of all our lives.”

The Royal Countryside Fund would like to acknowledge our thanks to The Royal Warrant Holders Association Charity Fund for their generous support of this workshop. 

Claire Anderson, Manager of The Royal Warrant Holders Association Charity Fund, said: “The Trustees and I were delighted to support a wonderful initiative. Great to hear that so many farming families attended from across the UK, hopefully they will action the practical steps to reduce the impact on biodiversity.”


The Royal Countryside Fund receives new Scottish Government funding to support farmers

The KTIF supports projects that promote skills development or deliver improvements in business practice, resource efficiency, environmental performance and sustainability. The RCF is one of seven projects chosen by the Scottish Government to receive a total of more than £300,000 in funding from the KTIF.

Originally launched in 2016, the Farm Resilience Programme is the RCF’s flagship farmer support programme, which offers free business skills and environment training to family farm businesses across the UK, and has now benefitted nearly 1,400 families. The programme is also supported by Aldi and Morrisons.

This latest funding will allow The Royal Countryside Fund to expand its Farm Resilience Programme to support an additional 80 -100 harder to reach family farm businesses in four locations across Scotland. Eligible farming families will be invited to take part in a series of workshops designed to help their business become more profitable and sustainable, including:

  • Understanding your farm business accounts and budgeting
  • Know your figures, a future without subsidies
  • Your farm and the environment
  • Planning for your future
  • Farm safety and mental health

The programme, which is free to join, is welcome to everyone in the family or farm business, with a hot meal provided at each meeting. Each session is delivered by an expert agricultural consultant and the free programme is worth over £2,000 per farm. An independent evaluation found that the programme delivers significant economic, social, and environmental benefits for farmers. For every £1 invested by the programme, there is around a £3 return for farmers – not including ongoing benefits to farmers which continue after they have completed the programme.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Royal Countryside Fund, said: “Farming families and crofters are the beating heart of Scotland’s rural communities and The Royal Countryside Fund is committed to giving these families the practical support they need for their business to prosper and thrive. Over the last 8 years, we’ve seen the positive difference our Farm Resilience Programme has already made, in improving profitability, confidence and business skills and this new funding from the KTIF will allow us to expand our support across four new locations, reaching an additional 80-100 faming businesses. In the long term, we hope this will lead to a more resilient agriculture sector, reduced rural isolation, stronger community networks and greater financial viability among small-scale family farms in Scotland.

“I would strongly encourage any family farms or crofters who are looking at ways to make change to their business wish to join this programme to visit our website www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk for further information or contact Clemmie Addison-Atkinson on caddison-atkinson@countrysidefund.org.uk / 07484 532949”

Mairi Gougeon, Rural Affairs Secretary, said: “The Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund supports the agriculture sector to realise the wealth of innovation and skills within it and find practical ways to share these on-farm improvements with the wider community. These seven projects will also help farmers and crofters access resources and develop skills in areas that build towards our targets to reach net zero and better manage resources.

“I extend my thanks to all who applied to KTIF this year for their diverse and inspired proposals, and for their continued engagement with the scheme.”

The programme is open to dairy and livestock family farm businesses and takes a whole-farm and whole-family approach. To find out more and sign up, farmers can visit www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/farmresilience 


Gareth Davies, former CEO of Tir Dewi joins The Royal Countryside Fund to extend its work in Wales 

Gareth has worked with The RCF for many years in his previous role as CEO of Welsh farming charity Tir Dewi. Gareth was fundamental in transforming the reach of Tir Dewi, which under his leadership grew from being a small charity with one part-time employee to an organisation with over 65 volunteers that has supported over 600 farms across Wales. It is now firmly established as a leading provider of farm support in the country. 

With his vast experience, Gareth is perfectly placed to deliver The RCF’s ambition to offer more support to Welsh farming and rural communities. “We recognise that this is a very challenging time for family farms and rural communities in Wales,” says Maddy Taylor, Head of Operations at The RCF.   “We are delighted that Gareth has joined our team, providing the opportunity for The RCF to better collaborate with local partners and ensure that we are providing support where it is most needed.” 

Gareth Davies responded, “The RCF was a funding partner for the whole of my time at Tir Dewi so I got to know the organisation really well.  It became clear to me that in addition to being a source of funds, they shared the same concerns for farms and the rural communities that they support and the same passion for helping them. The RCF also introduced me to a network of others doing similar work across the UK, enabling sharing of best practice and giving me others to talk to.” 

The Royal Countryside Fund looks forward to Gareth’s’ contributions towards its vision of a thriving countryside – a living landscape of working family farms and prosperous rural life, based on connections and relationships.