Prince Charles is set to launch his 19th charity on 22 July – the Prince’s Countryside Fund – with the aim of supporting the nation’s most vulnerable farmers and small rural communities to improve the long-term viability of the British countryside.
The new fund, which is expected to raise tens of millions of pounds for depressed rural areas in the next decade from big businesses, is ‘designed to assist the smaller family farm’, the Prince stated. Speaking to John Craven during an interview on BBC One’s Countryfile on Sunday, Prince Charles said: “People visit the countryside and it’s always there, but people don’t understand how much work has to go into maintaining it and keeping it like that…It doesn’t just happen by accident so the important thing is to ensure that rural skills are maintained and young people have a chance to take part in rural businesses and skills.” It has been suggested that the Fund could be of particular use to uplands landscapes, of which 75 per cent is designated as National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The charity is raising money from a wide range of businesses and retailers, including Waitrose, McVities and McDonalds, in order to provide grants to projects, large and small, that are delivering its three core objectives: improving the sustainability of British farming and rural communities targeting the areas of greatest need, reconnecting consumers with countryside issues, and supporting farming crisis charities through a dedicated emergency funding stream.
There will also be a focus on promoting school farms and gardens and educating children about the origins of food, whilst retaining reserve funds to distribute in the event of emergencies. It is understood that around a dozen leading figures from the retail and production worlds will serve on a board of trustees for the new fund, and that many companies have already pledged money to the “starting pot” of £1 million.
www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk
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