Local grant-making charity has awarded more than £109,000 to rural communities across the county
Through the Rural Community Needs Fund, Northamptonshire Community Foundation has awarded more than £109,000 to 13 charities and community organisations working to tackle urgent needs such as poverty and access to services across local rural towns, villages and the countryside.
Rachel McGrath, Chief Executive of Northamptonshire Community Foundation, said: “We established our Shining a Spotlight on Rural Community Needs appeal in March 2023, with the aim of supporting rural communities across Northamptonshire, improving their access to vital services and ensuring that they receive their fair share of funding.
“We’re very grateful to every generous donor who supported the appeal, and to the Constance Travis Charitable Trust for match funding every donation. We’re absolutely delighted that we’ve been able to award more than £109,000 to rural communities across Northamptonshire; this funding will help make a real difference to local resident’s lives. Further awards will be made later this year to continue supporting rural residents.”
The Northamptonshire Hidden Needs Report, commissioned and published in Autumn 2023 by Northamptonshire Community Foundation and researched by the University of Northampton, highlighted the needs and issues faced by residents across the county including rural communities in Northamptonshire, who make up more than a third of the county’s population.
Residents living in rural areas have longer travel times to vital services than those in urban communities; on average, they must travel an extra 15 minutes to see a General Practitioner (GP), 24 minutes to reach a town centre, and 26 minutes to get to a hospital.
Volunteer Action Oundle and Daventry Area Community Transport (DACT) received funding from the Rural Community Needs Fund to improve transport options across rural Northamptonshire.
Volunteer Action Oundle will use their grant award to increase the number of East-Northamptonshire residents they are able to reach through their Community Transport scheme, which provides transport, 1:1 befriending services and group activities to those who are 65+ years old and/or mobility restricted. DACT will use their grant award to purchase a new wheelchair accessible car, to improve the accessibility of their own community transport services.
To reduce levels of isolation within the small village of Braybrooke, and to create better access to a town centre, Braybrooke Parish Council received a grant award from the Rural Community Needs Fund to provide an accessible, all-weather route to connect the village to nearby Market Harborough.
All 13 of the projects funded through Northamptonshire Community Foundation’s Rural Community Needs Fund will have a lasting impact on the lives of rural residents across the county.