Nearly £100,000 has been made available this financial year for small-scale projects that result in positive benefits for the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
The National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) provides a simple and accessible source of money for a wide range of initiatives.
So far this financial year, 18 local projects have been allocated £77,818, from an annual budget of £175,000.
The grants will support refurbishment works at Crosby Garrett Village Hall; archaeological excavation in Fremington; a public car park upgrade in Thornton Rust; new interpretation panels at Malham Tarn Field Studies Centre; and the purchase of a new all-terrain wheel chair for disabled visitors to the Ingleborough nature trail and cave.
The fund is open to individuals, community groups, businesses and the voluntary sector. Any scheme which contributes in some way to conserving the national park or promoting the enjoyment of it – and which provides some social or economic benefits in a local community – will be considered.
Sustainable Development Officer, Andrea Burden, said: “Projects eligible for SDF money can be far-ranging, and big or small, from community composting and village enhancement, to local wildlife conservation and educational programmes, to renewable energy, sustainable transport and eco-tourism schemes.”
For more information and to download the application form and guidance notes, please visit www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/sdf
