Prince’s Countryside Fund provides emergency funding for floods
The Prince’s Countryside Fund gives emergency funding for flood devastated rural communities in Somerset.
HRH The Prince of Wales attended a reception at Stoke St Gregory village hall today meeting some of the organisations providing support to the region and hearing first-hand about the plight of rural communities who are struggling with severe flooding as a result of the wettest January since records began.
In response The Prince’s Countryside Fund has announced it will donate £50,000 from its emergency fund to help farmers and rural communities in Somerset. The Duke of Westminster has generously confirmed he will personally match the funding and donate an additional £50,000 taking the total available to £100,000.
The Prince’s Countryside Fund has allocated £25,000 of the emergency funding to The Farming Help Partnership (The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI), Farm Community Network (FCN) and the Addington Fund), a further £25,000 has been given to Somerset Community Foundation.
Victoria Elms from The Prince’s Countryside Fund said, “Rural communities in the Southwest are facing a second consecutive year of flooding. The Prince’s Countryside Fund exists to support the people who live and work in the countryside and we hope this financial aid will go some way to supporting the farmers, businesses and families who are facing severe hardships as a result of the flooding. Rural businesses are key to thriving communities and we want to help get hard hit villages back on their feet and open for business.”
Somerset Community Foundation will use the funding to provide emergency relief grants to small businesses and individuals affected by the flooding. It is hoped this funding will help them meet the immediate financial burdens of emergency repairs as well as helping to compensate for loss of income, damage of shop stock and the increased petrol costs of simply getting the children to school on extended daily commutes.
The Farming Help Charities will distribute the money between them according to need. They are all aware that the total costs of the severe weather are yet to be counted.
“We’re anticipating more requests from the farming community in the coming months as the full impact of the flooding has not been realised. Flooding causes huge devastation on property, land and the morale of communities, and once flood waters recede and the media attention wanes, people still need help to recover.” Paul Burrows, Chief Executive, RABI.
