Children from 12 primary schools across London will step into the shoes of Borough Market traders this summer as the Young Marketeers Summer Sale returns on Thursday 2 July, 11am – 1.30pm.

At the annual Summer Sale, a new generation of Londoners will sell their fresh produce at the capital’s famous bustling food market. Pupils will arrive with a harvest they have grown from seed at school, including dwarf French beans, lettuce, peas and radishes. Every penny raised will help provide meals for vulnerable families across London through Borough Market’s partner, food redistribution charity Plan Zheroes.

The Summer Sale marks the culmination of the Young Marketeers programme, a long-running partnership between Borough Market and food education charity School Food Matters. Through the programme, children from schools in boroughs including Westminster, Tower Hamlets, Hammersmith, Lambeth and Southwark gain hands-on experience of growing food in a sustainable way, learn about which fruit and vegetables are in season and discover the skills required to run a successful market stall.

Borough Market and School Food Matters have been working together through the Young Marketeers programme for more than a decade. During that time, more than 63,700 children have taken part, raising over £15,700 for charitable causes.

Borough Market is renowned for the quality of its produce and the expertise of its traders, many of whom work closely with small independent growers and have a detailed understanding of how to get the best out of ingredients. The Young Marketeers programme aims to share this knowledge and approach to good quality food with children.

Pupils receive advice and support from Borough Market traders including Sharon Crane from The Gated Garden; learning how to present the produce, price their products, manage transactions and drum up sales. Having grown their own crops, the pupils will be ready to chat with shoppers about the work that went into their wares. It will be the students’ earliest experience of working in a busy environment and will provide valuable lessons in communication, teamwork and enterprise that extend far beyond the Market.

By visiting the Summer Sale, shoppers can help reward months of hard work by the participating pupils while raising vital funds for Plan Zheroes. Working in partnership with Borough Market since 2011, the charity redistributes surplus food from the Market’s traders to local charities and community organisations, providing meals for people in need while preventing good food from going to waste.

The Young Marketeers Summer Sale will take place in the Market Hall at Borough Market from 11am to 1.30pm on Thursday 2 July 2026.

Shane Holland, chair of trustees, Borough Market, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming schools from across our London community to Borough Market for this year’s Young Marketeers Summer Sale. As a charitable trust, celebrating good food and helping people develop a better understanding of where it comes from is at the heart of what we do. The pupils have worked incredibly hard to grow their produce and learn what it takes to run a successful market stall and we may well see some of them return as future traders! We’re proud to support their efforts while raising funds for our long-standing charity partner, Plan Zheroes.”

Stephanie Slater, founder and chief executive, School Food Matters, said: “Food education is a vital life skill, and hands-on experiences such as growing and selling fresh produce can help children build a real connection with food and where it comes from. For 15 years, our Young Marketeers programme has been giving children the chance to learn new skills, work as a team and take pride in what they’ve grown. Market Day is a celebration of the value of food education and a moment for enterprising young gardeners from across London to shine.”

We are delighted to have been named Consultancy of the Year at the Better Society Awards 2026, making this the second consecutive year we have received the award.

The judges recognised our evidence-led approach to communications and our ability to help charities, public bodies and purpose-driven organisations translate complex social and environmental issues into clear, accessible and impactful public engagement.

As a certified B Corp consultancy, we specialise in sustainability, social impact and environmental communications, working exclusively on projects where communications can contribute meaningfully to positive change. Over the past year, we have continued to expand our strategic consultancy offer, helping organisations strengthen messaging, demonstrate impact and build public trust.

The judges were particularly impressed by our ability to combine measurable communications performance with genuine societal impact, highlighting our work translating complex evidence into communications that improve understanding, influence behaviour and support informed public debate.

Among the projects recognised was our work with Oceana UK on the launch of Deep Decline, a major scientific report examining the environmental impact of overfishing in UK waters. By helping translate complex scientific evidence into clear, accurate and compelling communications, the campaign generated extensive national and international media coverage while maintaining the integrity of the research.

The award also recognised our wider work supporting organisations including Hubbub, Nordoff and Robbins, Keep Britain Tidy and National Trading Standards.

The Better Society Awards celebrate organisations and partnerships making a positive contribution to society through responsible business and impactful communications. We are incredibly proud to see our team, clients and partners recognised once again for the role strategic communications can play in creating meaningful social and environmental change.

This week, secondary school pupils from across London mixed with professional traders and hosted their own stalls in Borough Market, serving homemade soup and bread to Londoners on their lunch break as part of the annual Young Marketeers Winter Soup Sale.

On Tuesday 3 February, young people aged 11–16 stepped into the role of market traders for the day, raising £580 for Borough Market’s long-standing partner charity, Plan Zheroes, which redistributes quality surplus food to organisations supporting vulnerable communities across the capital.

In the lead-up to the event, pupils attended a training day at Bread Ahead where they learned how to make ciabatta bread with the Bread Ahead bakers and developed soup recipes with School Food Matters. They also worked alongside the Borough Market team to learn what it takes to run a successful market stall, from food preparation and pricing to teamwork and customer engagement.

The Winter Soup Sale forms part of the Young Marketeers programme, a long-running partnership between Borough Market and School Food Matters. The programme gives pupils hands-on experience of growing, cooking and selling food, helping them to understand the value of seasonal eating, the importance of reducing food waste and the confidence that comes from cooking from scratch.

As a charitable trust, Borough Market places education and community engagement at the heart of its work. Through workshops with the Market’s expert traders the Young Marketeers programme connects young Londoners with where food comes from and how it is produced, prepared and sold, knowledge designed to stay with them well beyond their time at the Market.

Bethan Davies, Head of Communications & Marketing at Borough Market, said: “Creating opportunities like this for young Londoners is central to our purpose as a charitable trust. The Young Marketeers Winter Soup Sale gave pupils the chance to build real skills and confidence, while supporting Plan Zheroes’ vital work redistributing good food across the city. It was a powerful example of how food can bring people together, reduce waste and make a positive difference in our communities.”

Stephanie Slater MBE, Founder and Chief Executive of School Food Matters, said: “For nearly fifteen years, Young Marketeers has demonstrated the power of hands-on food education. By growing and cooking food, learning how to bring it to market and sharing that experience with others, young people build skills, confidence and positive relationships with food that they carry with them into adulthood. Projects like this matter because they support children’s long-term health and happiness.”

Since summer 2024, proceeds from Young Marketeers sales at Borough Market have supported Plan Zheroes, a London-based food redistribution charity that rescues quality surplus food and delivers it to organisations supporting people in need across the capital.

The Winter Soup Sale builds on a decade-long partnership between Borough Market and Plan Zheroes, with volunteers collecting surplus food from traders six days a week. Together, the partnership has saved more than 150 tonnes of food from landfill, the equivalent of over 360,000 platefuls redistributed to Londoners who need it most.

For further details, visit:
https://boroughmarket.org.uk/events/school-food-matters-soup-sale/

This autumn, London’s iconic Borough Market will be filled with the buzz of young traders, as local primary school pupils take over the Market’s historic stalls for the annual Young Marketeers Harvest Sale, taking place 11am – 1:30pm on 2 October 2025.

The Young Marketeers programme gives children the opportunity to get their hands in the soil and discover where their food comes from. With the support of food educators and Borough Market traders, pupils not only deepen their knowledge of healthy, seasonal, British grown vegetables, but have the unique opportunity to develop the skills needed to market and sell their own produce in Borough Market. The Young Marketeers programme is delivered by charities School Food Matters and Borough Market.

Previous research from Borough Market highlights just how valuable this education is. While children were generally familiar with common produce, with 95% able to correctly recognise carrots and strawberries, the easy-to-grow courgette and beetroot were identified by just 31% and 28% of children*. Initiatives like the Young Marketeers sale help close these gaps and broaden children’s food literacy.

Borough Market’s experienced traders play a crucial role in the programme, sharing their expertise to help students develop business know-how, presentation skills and the confidence to engage with customers. By passing on a legacy of knowledge about quality produce and customer service this project sets out to inspire the next generation of chefs, growers and market traders.

This Harvest Sale will once again support food redistribution charity Plan Zheroes. Since 2014, Plan Zheroes has worked with Borough Market traders to collect surplus food and deliver it to charities and community groups across London. Together, they have rescued more than 151,000kg of food, the equivalent of over 360,000 meals for Londoners in need. Dedicated volunteers visit the Market six days a week to ensure good food never goes to waste.

Alistair Maddox, CEO at Borough Market, said: “Harvest is one of the most special times of year at Borough Market and it’s a joy to see the next generation of Londoners taking their place behind our stalls. The Young Marketeers sale is more than just a fun day out – it’s a way of equipping children with food knowledge, cooking skills and the experience of running a business. As a charitable trust, sharing our love for good food with the community is at the heart of what we do, and this programme embodies that spirit.”

Stephanie Slater, Founder and Chief Executive of School Food Matters, said: “For nearly 15 years, the Young Marketeers programme has demonstrated the powerful impact of food education. Children not only learn how to grow fresh fruit and vegetables but also develop the skills and confidence to share that knowledge with their friends and family. Research shows that food education has lasting impacts on children’s health and wellbeing, which is why hands-on projects like this are so important. By giving children and young people the chance to experience food from seed to market stall we’re setting them up for healthier and happier futures.”

The Young Marketeers Harvest Sale will take place at Borough Market on 2 October 2025 from 11am – 1.30pm.

Students from 12 London primary schools sold school-grown fruit and veg at iconic market
All proceeds will be donated to redistribution charity Plan Zheroes, tackling food poverty

The Young Marketeers Summer Market Day returned to Borough Market on Thursday 3 July 2025, with 60 pupils from 12 London primary schools setting out their stalls in one of the capital’s most iconic food markets. The children sold a selection of fruit and vegetables they had grown from seed in their school gardens, raising a total of £730.08 for Borough Market’s food waste charity partner, Plan Zheroes.

The Young Marketeers programme, now in its 14th year, is a partnership between charity School Food Matters and Borough Market, itself a charitable trust. Through the programme, pupils not only learn how to grow fresh seasonal food, but they also gain first-hand experience of running a business and receive expert training from Borough Market’s traders on how to be confident and engage customers. The children joined traders such as Hickson & Daughter, Raya and Northfield Farm in March to learn what it takes to be a brilliant market operator.

This summer’s budding market traders offered up an impressive homegrown harvest, including beetroot, French beans, lettuce, salad leaves, peas, carrots and Chinese radishes, all nurtured by the children in their school gardens.

learned how to care for their crops with former Blue Peter gardener and horticultural expert Chris Collins. Each school also received a visit from a School Food Matters gardener to check on progress and give growing advice.

This year’s Summer Market Day continued to support the food redistribution charity Plan Zheroes. Since 2014, Plan Zheroes has been collecting surplus food from Borough Market’s traders and delivering it to charities and community groups across London. In that time the partnership has repurposed over 151,000kg of food and provided 360,594 meals for Londoners, with their volunteers visiting the Market six days a week.

The brief

The UK generates some of the highest levels of electronic waste in the world, with millions of unused devices sitting idle in homes. Virgin Media O2 and environmental charity Hubbub launched the Time After Time fund to spark practical behaviour change around tech repair, reuse and recycling, while also tackling digital exclusion. Barley was asked to raise national and local awareness of the fund and its community projects, drive participation and encourage people to take tangible action on e-waste.

Insights and approach

Our insight was clear: e-waste feels abstract until it becomes a local story. Communities needed to see the social and personal value of reuse — not just the environmental case.

We developed a targeted media-relations strategy rooted in real-world stories from the 18 funded projects. By tailoring press releases for regional outlets and elevating compelling human narratives — such as neurodivergent volunteers gaining new skills, or a refugee accessing education with a refurbished laptop — we created emotional connection and relevance.

Our outreach combined regional amplification with national and trade engagement, ensuring strong visibility for the fund’s impact and opportunities for public involvement. Close collaboration with project partners helped surface authentic case studies and barriers to participation, enabling us to frame repair and reuse as achievable, beneficial actions.

Our focused approach ensured every story worked hard to inspire change and spotlight the fund’s contribution to both environmental sustainability and digital inclusion.

Results

he campaign successfully shifted awareness of e-waste from a niche environmental topic to an issue with deep community relevance. Engagement was strong, with thousands taking practical steps such as donating unused tech or repairing devices — directly supporting the fund’s aims of reducing waste and increasing access to digital opportunities.

Projects reported immediate surges in device donations following media coverage, and several initiatives expanded their teams to create inclusive training and employment opportunities. By linking environmental action to skills, education and community support, the campaign delivered meaningful, lasting behaviour change.

LONDON, 26 February 2025 – A recent survey conducted for London Recycles ahead of Repair Week 2025 has revealed that Londoners spent an average of £464.21 per person replacing damaged or broken items they believe could have been repaired over the past year. This adds up to a staggering £3.24 billion across London, marking a £240 million increase from a similar poll conducted for London Repair Week 2024.

The findings highlight the significant environmental and financial benefits of repairing rather than replacing items. However, many Londoners are unaware of affordable repair options or don’t feel they have the skills to fix things themselves.

London Repair Week 2025: free workshops and events

London Repair Week 2025, running from 3rd to 9th March, aims to inspire Londoners to embrace the repair revolution. With almost 90 active partners holding over 220 events across the city, many of which are free, the week offers opportunities to learn practical repair skills while connecting with others in the community.

56% of Londoners from the survey agreed that participating in a repair workshop would make them feel more connected to their local community, and 33% claim to have made friends at similar events in the past.

Workshops will cover a wide range of skills and items. Confirmed event hosts include London National Park City, Decathlon, TRAID, Kundakala, NOW Gallery and Trash Club. These workshops are designed to empower participants to extend the life of their belongings while reducing waste and saving money.

Repair Week has expanded beyond London again this year, bringing the repair movement to even more communities across the nation. Greater Manchester will be taking part for the third year running, while Cardiff, County Durham, Liverpool City Region, Belfast and Northern Ireland will take part for the first time.

Ali Moore, Head of Campaigns for London Recycles, said: “London Repair Week is about empowering people to make their stuff last longer, meet people and connect with their community. Whether you’re motivated by financial savings, environmental

concerns, or simply want to learn a new skill, there’s something for everyone at this year’s event.”

For a full list of workshops and events during #RepairWeekLDN, visit the London Recycles website London Recycles | Repair Week – What’s On.

Survey findings: a growing appetite for repair culture

The survey conducted by Censuswide reveals a growing interest in repair culture among Londoners:

77% want to learn repair skills to save money
67% would prefer repairing items themselves if they had the knowledge
57% are concerned about the cost of replacing broken items in the coming year
56% enjoy repairing items with others and want to learn more
58% would attend more local repair events if available locally
80% feel a sense of achievement when repairing things

Despite these positive trends, commonly discarded items like shoes (31%), clothing (29%), and kettles (27%) are often thrown away without exploring repair options.

Launching the UK’s first electrical repair voucher scheme

In addition to the events and workshops, an innovative repair voucher pilot scheme is being announced during the week. Funded by the North London Waste Authority and delivered in partnership by The Restart Project, ReLondon and FixFirst, this scheme is the first of its kind in the UK and aims to tackle one of the biggest barriers to repair: cost[2].

Key details of the scheme include:

Vouchers offering consumers 50% off repair costs (up to £50)
A trial run will take place across North London, with businesses accepting vouchers in Haringey, Hackney and Waltham Forest.
Launch date set for 1 April 2025, running for six months
The vouchers are available for use on repairs to household electrical items like toasters, kettles, lamps and tech including mobile phones and laptops

How it works: North London residents can apply for a voucher online and will receive a QR code to use at participating repair high street businesses listed on an interactive map. Once a repair is booked , customers receive their discount at payment. Businesses then claim back the cost from partner Fixfirst.

Fiona Dear, Co-Director at The Restart Project said: “Repair is hugely popular, but cost is one of the main reasons that people don’t fix their electricals. So we’re delighted to be trialling a repair voucher scheme in North London. The trial will directly reduce repair costs for Londoners, encourage more people to try out repair, and support North London’s repair businesses. We look forward to seeing the impact of the pilot, and making the case for further, longer-term schemes in the UK.”

However, school gardening is on the increase and growing fruit and veg at school could be the ticket to eating a more varied diet

12 London schools lead the way by selling their school-grown produce at the Young Marketeers Harvest Market Day in London’s iconic Borough Market on 2 October

The proportion of children growing their own fruit and vegetables at school has increased by 10% since 2018, according to new research of over 1,000 7-11 year olds commissioned by Borough Market¹. Almost half (49%) of children surveyed have tried growing fruit and veg at school, up from 39% in 2018. What’s more, children have cited growing their own produce as the biggest influence on them trying a wider variety of fruit and vegetables.

Since 2011, Borough Market and School Food Matters have been running the Young Marketeers programme, designed to help school children in London understand where their food comes from and how to cook with it. Children who take part in the programme grow their own fruit and veg at school, before selling their produce to the public at London’s iconic market.

The research found that while children are familiar with many types of fruit and veg, there are still some gaps to be filled. When asked to identify different fruit and vegetables, the most recognised were carrots and strawberries (with 95% of children surveyed correctly identifying them). Yet, the low-cost, easy-to-grow courgette and squash were among the least recognised, with just 31% and 36% (respectively) identifying them correctly. The most mysterious veg was the humble beetroot which just over 1 in 4 (28%) children surveyed could identify correctly.

Almost a third (30%) said that growing their own would encourage them to try more varieties of fruit and vegetables. This was above seeing their family eating more (23%), being offered more at school (20%), seeing their friends eating more (18%) or even their favourite music star (9%), suggesting a rising hunger from children to get their hands dirty and get growing.

Nearly one in five (17%) children say they never help with cooking, with 20% of this group stating the reason they don’t is that they are not allowed to. However, there is a desire to get hands on, with more than half (54%) of respondents said they would like to learn how to cook and 44% would like to learn how to grow their own fruit and veg.

Jane Swift, CEO at Borough Market, said: “It’s really encouraging to see the passion and curiosity from school children around growing food and understanding about where it comes from. Growing their own produce is a great way for children to connect with the food on their plate and our research suggests it could even be the ticket to helping them eat a more varied diet. The Young Marketeers programme is a leading example of how this can be done and we are proud to have been supporting School Food Matters to reach pupils across London for the last 13 years.”

Stephanie Slater, Founder and Chief Executive at School Food Matters, said: “It’s a shame that so many children leave school without understanding that food comes from the soil, not the supermarket. The Young Marketeers programme exists to help change this, by taking children through the entire food journey – from growing and nurturing to harvesting and selling their own produce.

“Each year, children tell us how much they love learning outdoors and deploying their entrepreneurial skills on Market Day. There’s a wider benefit too. Children who grow their own fruit and vegetables are more likely to try them, develop positive eating habits, and become more aware of issues around health and nutrition. It’s for these reasons that School Food Matters is calling for the government to kickstart a food education revolution across the country, so that every child in every school can develop the skills they need to lead happy and healthy lives.”

On Wednesday 2October, from 11am – 1.30pm, children from 12 local primary schools will be setting up stalls in London’s iconic Borough Market to sell fruit and vegetables that they have grown from seed at school, as part of the annual Harvest Market Day. All proceeds will be donated to Plan Zheroes, a food redistribution charity that collects quality surplus food from businesses in London and redistributes it to charities supporting vulnerable people across the city.

To date, the partnership has seen more than 250 schools attend trader training. Some students have grown their own fruit and veg and sold it at the Market, while others have made soup from seasonal produce. Over the years, over £14,000 has been raised for charities from these sales.

To find out more about the Young Marketeers programme, watch the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwq2M1pH1ig  

For more information on the Harvest Market Day, visit: schoolfoodmatters.org/what-we-do/projects/food-education/young-marketeers

We’re at the cusp of a whole bunch of awards celebrations and we have plenty to celebrate! We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted for multiple awards for our innovative communications solutions. Of course, the pride and glory of awards are always enjoyable, but more than anything, we’re pleased with what this recognition says about our work.

Having judged many awards ourselves, we know that creativity, innovation and impact are what’s needed to make an award entry stand out from the crowd. At Barley, we blend strategy, creativity, expertise and passion into social purpose communications that deliver real impact for our clients.

Here’s a snapshot of the work we’ve been shortlisted for:

Rebranding a charity for ETP

To mark a new era for ETP, we designed a bold visual identity that unifies perspectives, clarifies the organisation’s message and charts a course for the future. We developed a new website that’s been shortlisted for Best Website or App at the Memcom Excellence Awards and Best Marketing Initiative or Project at the Association Excellence Awards.

Membership organisation, EACTS

The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) – a 4,000+ membership organisation for the cardiothoracic surgical community that aims to improve outcomes for heart and lung patients around the world – has been shortlisted for Best In-Person Event of the Year at the Memcom Excellence Awards.

The shortlist for EACTS is for the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting which took place in Vienna in 2023 – and we’re proud to support EACTS to deliver the flagship event. At Barley, our work includes managing organic and paid social media to drive over 5,000 participants to the event, publishing a daily newspaper over the four-day event and working with Go Forth Films to produce a daily highlights video. Barley is again supporting EACTS with this year’s Annual Meeting, which is being held in Lisbon from 9-12 October.

Environmental behaviour change campaign for Keep Britain Tidy

Based on eye-opening data about people’s buying habits, we created and delivered a topical campaign across digital and social platforms, setting our audience the task of buying nothing new for a month. This one is up for Behaviour Change Campaign of the Year at the Global Glood Awards and the Education, Training and Communication Award at the National Sustainability Awards.

Charity communications for Nordoff and Robbins

We’re shortlisted for PR Team of the Year at the Charity Times Awards for our strategic approach to media relations for the inaugural Northern Music Awards – helping Nordoff and Robbins raise their profile, raise funds and demonstrate the impact of their life-changing work as the UK largest provider of music therapy.

Local authority communications for Suffolk Waste Partnership

Our #ShakeItOut campaign to reduce recycling contamination has made a lasting impact, resonating with Suffolk households through eye-catching creative across multiple communications channels. This standout campaign of this year’s awards has so far been shortlisted a whopping eight times.

And there’s more! In addition to our client work, Barley has also been shortlisted for several agency awards, including the Women in Green Business Awards and the Association Excellence Awards.

This recognition is true testament to the dedication, imagination and enthusiasm our team brings to every project. And we’re ever appreciative of our marvellous clients for choosing Barley to deliver across a wide range of their communications needs.

Bring on the celebrations!

Community-led organisations in Cumbria and Northumberland invited to apply now

A new £500,000 funding programme to support community-led projects in rural Northumberland and Cumbria is today being announced by The Royal Countryside Fund, in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund.

The fund which launches on 1^st August, is seeking applications from organisations across the two counties that have the potential to ‘power up, not prop up’ rural communities. The initiative – the first county-based programme from The Royal Countryside Fund – aims to revitalise these areas by funding original, innovative projects that address the unique challenges and opportunities they face.

Figures show that the average wage in rural areas is 7.5% less than the urban equivalent, yet residents must spend up to 20% more on everyday items like fuel and transport, while many living in rural communities also face hidden levels of hardship such as loneliness and isolation.

Individual organisations can apply for up to £30,000 each over a period of 18 months to deliver activities designed to boost economic, environmental or social stability. Applications are encouraged from projects which have the potential to provide financial benefits to the locality, build a stronger sense of community and connectedness and/or increase environmental sustainability.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Royal Countryside Fund, said: “There is huge untapped potential within rural communities to drive economic prosperity and find innovative solutions to environmental and social challenges. This funding opportunity aims to support transformative initiatives that will truly inspire change in rural parts of Cumbria and Northumberland.

“We are particularly excited to see ideas that offer new and original solutions to rural challenges, especially where there is potential to replicate these in other communities and increase the scale of change. We are also profoundly grateful for the substantial support from The National Lottery Community Fund, which enables us to significantly enhance our impact.”

Duncan Nicholson, Regional Head of Funding for North East & Cumbria at The National Lottery Community Fund said: “We are delighted to be funding this terrific initiative in partnership with The Royal Countryside Fund and committing to the environmental sustainability and resilience of communities across these two counties.

“Supporting communities to be environmentally sustainable is one of our key missions at The National Lottery Community Fund, and thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to fund projects across the region to address local climate issues and create an infrastructure for the benefit of current and future generations.”

The Royal Countryside Fund has so far invested more than £12 million in over 500 rural community-led projects, including two previous examples of highly innovative and impactful projects in Cumbria and Northumberland:

Grizedale Arts and The Farmers Arms in Cumbria: a project in collaboration with the community which turned an old pub into a rural hub, creating a local space for creative and business projects to run as well as hosting training events and volunteer placements for local people.

Blackhall Mill Community Association in Newcastle: a community initiative to develop a how-to-guide and model for setting up an electric vehicle car club, called a ‘car club in a box’, to enable other communities to create their own. The innovation is designed to support the development of new clubs in other communities, de-carbonise transport, improve accessibility and strengthen to sustainability of their own club for the community.

The Royal Countryside Fund is seeking applications from community projects that will create tangible change, helping to do one or more of the following:

Help provide financial benefits to the locality
Build a stronger sense of community and connectedness
Benefit the local environment, creating positive benefits for the community
Create an innovative and replicable approach, addressing an unmet need within a rural area

To apply, visit www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/grants to submit a short video and complete a simple ‘Expression of Interest’ form, explaining why the idea is needed in the area, how it will help the community, how it demonstrates innovation and the long-term ambition for the project.

On Wednesday 7^th August The Royal Countryside Fund will host two webinars for people interested in applying to ask questions and find out more about the fund and application process:

Cumbria-6pm: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AuJSQyN7SmSGon0VsPwOwA
Northumberland- 7pm https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VpTKxrMASeyMFhIH821PDw

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