Chance to help turn the tide on rural decline

The lifeline, which is being launched today, will offer support for those in rural communities who want to set up community-owned services – like shops and pubs – to help turn the tide on rural decline.

The Plunkett Foundation has teamed up with the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for the project which aims to raise cash from the issue of community shares to support vital village services.

Support on offer will provide a combination of adviser support, training, feasibility grants of up to £2,000, and the opportunities for networking with other community enterprises.

The help is specifically focused at the early stage of a community’s ideas, and will help them progress to the next stage. Eligibility for support will depend on communities aiming to raise at least £10,000 themselves by issuing community shares.

James Alcock, head of the Plunkett Foundation, said: “Our support through this programme encourages enterprises to raise at least £10,000 by offering shares to the whole community. This approach has been extremely successful for enterprises like shops and pubs, allowing them to raise a significant amount of money in often a short space of time.”

He said the benefits were that “the success of the enterprise is rooted in the whole community” empowering residents to make a difference and ensuring they were feasible in the long-term, without sole reliance on grants.

This new service is now open for applications and rural communities who need support for their enterprises and are interested in finding out more should call 01993 810730 or email [email protected]