Open days to reconnect the public with rural Britain

Successful projects funded by a cause established by the Prince of Wales will be opened to the public to celebrate National Countryside Week on July 22-28.

The Prince’s Countryside Fund will be celebrating everything that is special about the British countryside and trying to reconnect people with the great outdoors.

People will be able to learn about dry stone walling and sheep dog handling, attend a wild food feast or learn how the community could set up a village shop, at a series of open days across the country.

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National Countryside Week aims to raise awareness of the importance of the countryside to the UK and recognise the people and organisations working relentlessly to maintain and promote rural Britain.

To mark the occasion in Yorkshire, Prism Youth Project in Bradford will host an open day at its inner city farm. Full details are due to be announced in the coming weeks.

The Prince’s Countryside Fund was set up in July 2010 by Business in the Community. So far it has provided more than £2.1m in grants to over 60 projects, directly benefitting nearly 40,000 people. Projects that have been funded range from apprenticeships for budding hill farmers, training for young people to gain employment in the rural economy, community transport schemes in isolated rural areas and projects to educate schoolchildren about where their food comes from and why the countryside matters.

In addition to its normal application process, the fund also operates an emergency fund in times of need.

All the projects focus on supporting the people who care for our countryside and make it tick.