Herefordshire Community Foundation’s Wye Valley AONB Fund supports projects that seek to conserve and enhance the local characteristics of wildlife, landscape, land use and community, including social well-being and economic viability, within the Wye Valley AONB and adjoining area (where the majority of benefit is within the AONB) that is within Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire.
The Fund is open to community groups, voluntary groups, landscape conservation groups, land managers, schools and education organisations, businesses, charities and local residents, for project, programmes and project staff.
This fund is administered by the Herefordshire Community Foundation (HCF) and coordinated by the Wye Valley AONB Unit, based in Monmouth. As a first step please contact the Wye Valley AONB’s Community Links Officer community@wyevalleyaonb.org.uk with a brief outline of your proposal and your contact details and they will get back to you. We’re happy to provide any guidance.
The HCF webpage provides more detailed information about the grant and rates, timescales and the assessment process. Once you’ve discussed your proposal with the AONB Community Links Officer, the registration / application form can be found here.
As an applicant you will need to show how your project helps “conserve and enhance the Wye Valley AONB and support the non-statutory activities of the Wye Valley AONB Partnership.” Your proposal needs to demonstrate the principal of public benefit and it needs to match the fund criteria, which fall into the following broad categories:-
Conservation and enhancement of the landscape
Activities could include landscape conservation grants to organisations, landowners, land managers and community groups for:
- Conserving and enhancing the special qualities of the Wye Valley AONB (as identified in the Wye Valley AONB Management Plan)
- Maintenance and management of natural features including coppicing, tree and hedgerow planting, pond restoration, grassland and wetland management and heathland conservation
- Maintenance and management of historic features including viewpoints, former industrial sites, drystone walls and historic settlements or buildings
- Equipment to undertake conservation activities
Promote public understanding and enjoyment of the Wye Valley AONB
Activities could include grants for:
- Education visits and activities
- Information and interpretation projects, eg information boards, walking leaflets, websites, public transport promotion etc
- Outreach projects, eg targeting disadvantaged groups
Support the social and economic well-being of the Wye Valley AONB
Activities could include grants to landowners, business and communities for:
- Enhancing community facilities, eg village halls
- Start-up enterprises, eg farm shops, local food initiatives
- Community enterprises, eg village shops, village play-schemes
- Community well-being initiatives, e.g. walking groups, ‘green gym’ health & exercise groups simultaneously using and conserving the natural environment
You can also make donations to the HCF Wye Valley AONB Fund. For more information please go to our Donate page.
AONB Community Links Officer
Wye Valley AONB,
Hadnock Road,
Monmouth NP25 3NG
