£2 million brings local ideas to life
Since Creative Rural Communities was established in early 2004, much-needed projects in the Vale of Glamorgan have received a cash injection of more than £2 million.
With match funding, this has led to a total capital investment of £3 million in initiatives ranging from village halls to road safety schemes, all of which have made a real difference to the day-to-day lives of people living in the rural Vale.
Creative Rural Communities is considered to be central to wider economic growth in the Rural Vale of Glamorgan. The Vale of Glamorgan Council, as lead body for the Rural Partnership, grasped the opportunity to obtain Rural Community Action status for the rural Vale in 2003 and since that time have closely supported the initiative and taken pride in the success of the many projects it has supported.
Key to the success of the initiative is the enthusiasm and energy of the community groups delivering projects throughout the Rural Vale. Most of the projects supported have been initiated by local community groups, and members of these groups have invested considerable time, skills and effort to bring their projects to fruition. As a result, a great deal has been achieved, and the team at Creative Rural Communities is now looking to build on this success in the future.
Their work is informed by feedback from local people and they have carried out a series of consultation events in rural wards, asking residents for their ideas on how their area might be improved.
The team is currently negotiating for a new round of funding which will come on stream in 2008 and will enable Creative Rural Communities to continue to improve the quality of life for rural communities in the Vale over the next five years. In particular, the team is seeking to extend its grant programme to give more emphasis to initiatives involving women and young people.
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