New Pilot Programme to Support Rural Community Groups in Northumberland

2nd Jul 2025

A new initiative is being launched to strengthen and support rural community organisations across Northumberland and needs your views to shape it.

Community Action Northumberland (CAN), in partnership with the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) and the Rural Design Centre (RDC), is developing a pilot capacity-building programme aimed at helping local groups tackle common challenges and unlock new opportunities.

The programme is being commissioned by The Royal Countryside Fund, which is keen to understand the needs of rural community organisations and ensure support reaches as many groups as possible, from small, very local initiatives, to those operating across wider areas of the county.

In its first phase, the project team is working to build a full picture of Northumberland’s rural community landscape. This includes desktop research as well as gathering input directly from groups and organisations to shape the support on offer.

Marc Johnson for CAN said: 

“We’re particularly keen to hear from organisations that might be less visible or have struggled to access funding in the past. This is a real opportunity to make sure their voices are heard and their needs reflected in the programme design.”

To help shape the pilot, community groups are invited to complete a short survey about their organisation and the kinds of support that would make the most difference. The deadline to respond is Monday 14 July 2025.

The full pilot programme is set to launch in August 2025, with a focus on working closely with around six communities across rural Northumberland. Insights from the survey will also help identify groups who may benefit from taking part in the pilot.

If your organisation would like to stay informed or get involved, please complete the survey and leave your contact details. You can also share the survey link within your networks to help us reach as many rural voices as possible.

For more information about the project, please contact nicre@newcastle.ac.uk.

Survey Link: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/newcastle/northumberland-ruralcommunitysupport