15 April 2019
A Welsh rural community with a shared ambition to enhance biodiversity on community-owned land and local farmland is one step closer to securing funding to fulfil that goal.
Talley Community Amenity Association (TCAA) wanted to create the conditions for wildlife and plants to thrive on a 24-hectare piece of land owned by the village of Talley, near Llandeilo.
The opportunity to do that came through the Sustainable Management Scheme (SMS), administered by the Welsh Government Rural Communities - Rural Development Programme. The SMS provides financial support for a range of activities to manage our natural resources and in doing so contribute to the well-being of our rural communities.
Not only would it fulfil that ambition but it also presented an opportunity to engage local farmers on multiple sustainable land management practices such as improving water quality and soil management on 800 hectares around the villages of Talley and Cwmdu.
The project, entitled ‘Local LAND’, has been successful at Expression of Interest (EOI) stage and has now applied for a grant of £522,653. ‘Local LAND’ was one of nine projects that were successful in the EOI round.
Catherine Nakielny, who farms in Talley and is a member of the TCAA, helped to instigate the project as one of 15 Farming Connect SMS facilitators in Wales.
The ambitions of the TCAA – the lead organisation for this SMS application - was a perfect fit for the scheme’s requirements, she says.
“There was a desire to develop the community land for the benefit of the local and wider communities and to link this to wider land ownership to deliver environmental goods such as improving water retention in the uplands and managing woodlands,’’ Dr Nakielny explains.
Smallholder and TCAA chair Linda Tame says the community is delighted the application was successful.
The application ticked so many boxes, she says, not only for improving habitat management and biodiversity but for promoting health, wellbeing and community cohesion and increasing access to outdoor recreation as well as multiple other aims.
The project will tackle local challenges including social isolation, access to outdoor education for local schools and the provision of amenity facilities for residents and visitors.
It has already brought the community closer, says TCAA treasurer Angie Hastilow, through local engagement events, volunteering opportunities and the creation of a community Facebook page.
“One of our first jobs will be to appoint two part-time staff, one of whom will be tasked with engaging the local community, including the school, with the project,’’ says Mrs Hastilow.
Talley and Cwmdu will host an open day at Talley on April 24th, starting at 10.00am at The Plough, Rhosmaen, Llandeilo. For further information regarding the open day, click here or contact Farming Connect.
The 5th window to submit and Expression of Interest (EOI) for the SMS scheme will be open between the 21st of May and the 6th of August. If you are interested in working with a Farming Connect facilitator please click here for further information.
The Welsh Government Rural Communities - Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.