Basic services in rural areas

More than £7 million of RDPE funding has been allocated to this theme, targeted in two ways;

• Grants available to support projects from community and social enterprises for the improved delivery of, and access to, basic services
• Professional advice and support available for community and social enterprises that deliver basic services, in order to improve their overall viability

This funding is for new, existing or developing projects in rural areas - including towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000 - across the whole of South West England. All projects will go through an appraisal process with viability, sustainability and value-for-money the key considerations.

The primary focus of the RDPE Community and Social Enterprise fund is to support voluntary and community organisations to become more self-financing and sustainable. This can be by the development of community and social enterprise activities, including support for community buildings where they are used to provide basic services.

In this context a community or social enterprise is defined as "a formally constituted group or business which trades primarily for social purposes rather than being driven by the need to maximise profits. Whilst governance and legal structures will vary, they exist for the benefit of the local community, either to promote a particular activity or service or to achieve a set of socially based objectives."

Advice and support

The ‘Making a Community And Social Enterprise (CASE) Making it happen’ support service is now operational. This project has been set up to encourage a wide take-up of the RDPE Community and Social Enterprise funding. It is managed across the South West by Gloucestershire First working in partnership with the South West ACRE Network (SWAN) and the Region’s Rural Community Councils (RCCs). Each RCC has a dedicated CASE Adviser who can help and support local organisations to prepare applications for funding. Click on the ‘Making a CASE. Making it happen’ logo on the SWAN website to learn more about it and the funding for community and social enterprises .

How do I apply for the grants?

There are two stages to the application process.

• The Expression of Interest (EoI), which presents an outline of the proposal, to determine whether it fits within the criteria of the programme
• A full application and business plan, which will give enough details  of the proposed project to enable a funding decision to be made.

Who can I contact for help?

Your local Community and Social Enterprise (CASE) Adviser will help to check your eligibility and provide you with the forms you will need to make an application.

Alternatively, you can download the Expression of Interest form. You will be able to access advice and support relating to the application from the CASE Adviser for your area - clicking on the name of the adviser will access their email address:

Avon, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire

Dick Whittington (Gloucestershire Rural Community Council)

Corwall

Nikki Mills (Cornwall Rural Community Council)

Devon

Dawn Eckhart (Community Council of Devon)

Dorset

Jane Colvin (Dorset Community Action)

Gloucestershire

Chris Cowcher (Gloucestershire Rural Community Council)

Somerset

Katherine Armstrong (Community Council for Somerset)

Wiltshire

Marion Rayner (Community First Wiltshire)