Green Spaces and Active Travel

New Community Fund for Green Spaces and Active Travel

Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, Shropshire VCS Assembly and Shropshire Council are working in partnership to deliver a new civic crowdfunding initiative designed to support community-led green spaces and active travel projects. The initiative has received £150,000 to allocate as funds from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (Rural Fund).

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

Working with Spacehive, the civic crowdfunding specialists, a new fund will be made available voluntary sector organisations and smaller community groups to work with local town and parish councils, schools and other owners and managers of green spaces and active travel networks, to develop and implement activities designed to improve public green spaces, encourage people to use them and enable active travel.

The available funding is for capital projects (these are costs associated with purchasing assets or refurbishing existing assets, including the purchasing of equipment. These are expected to have 'wider community benefit' and to have an expected lifespan of at least 5 years). Crowdfunding will provide match to available capital funds. Through gathering community donations/pledges it will ensure local leadership, engagement and support to boost sustainability and project longevity beyond the programme’s lifespan.

Projects should be focused on renovating or repairing green spaces and facilities with the aim of creating better public space. Improvements will be possible across a wide range of rural areas including local green spaces, parks, community gardens and blue infrastructure such as canals and towpaths.

Possible local projects include community growing schemes, improving community owned outdoor spaces and play/sports pitches, provision of equipment to encourage use of outdoor spaces, investment in equipment to enable use of active travel or investment in active travel infrastructure. The fund set up allows the collection of data to demonstrate sustainable development with measures such as: size of green space improved, change in perception of the space/active travel network etc, number of community members engaged/ beneficiaries etc. Project ideas may be diverse, but they will each contribute to increased pride in, and use of our rural green spaces and public routes and places.

The fund will allow for 70% of project costs (with a maximum of £20,000). The remaining 30% will be obtained through donations from members of the community.

There will be opportunities to find out more over the coming months with the first workshop taking place on the 20th February. Book your place here: Crowdfund Shropshire- Project Creator Workshop Tickets, Tue 20 Feb 2024 at 12:00 | Eventbrite

Find out more about the fund here: Crowdfund Shropshire - Home (spacehive.com)