Due to an exceptional high level of
demand, the groundbreaking Local Food programme is to suspend acceptance of
new first stage applications, with effect from Thursday 21 August 2009.
The Local Food programme, managed by
the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) and funded by a £50 million
grant from the Big Lottery Fund has seen unprecedented demand from projects
that aim to make local food more accessible and affordable to communities.
Local Food funds a broad range of
food related projects that will benefit individuals and communities across
the country. Some projects already funded include a Devonshire community
café, an urban farm in Sheffield and a cooking club for autistic children in
Stockton on Tees.
Mark Wheddon, Local Food Programme
Manager said: “It is obvious that there is a huge interest and need for this
type of funding. The public appear to be increasingly in tune with the
environmental consequences of the choices they make, including their
knowledge and understanding of food and where it comes from.”
“It is important that we act quickly
so that we can make potential applicants, and those working up project
ideas, fully aware of the current level of demand. We do not want to have a
situation where people invest a great deal of time and effort into applying,
unaware of the exceptional levels of demand we are experiencing, only to be
disappointed if we cannot fund their project.”
In just 14 months the Local Food
programme has received enough applications to potentially fully utilise the
£50 million grant funding available and its Grants Officers are currently in
the process of assessing these applications. Potential applicants have three
months to submit new first stage applications before the programme suspends
acceptance of new applications on 21st August 2009.
Local Food has awarded £13m of
grants to date and will be shortly announcing the successful Beacon Project
grant awards (£300,001 to £500,000).
