Local community group awarded £50,000 funding

Ross-on-Wye Community Development Trust is celebrating after being awarded £50,000 from the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) Thriving Communities Fund. 

The extensive funding will support the group’s work through the development of the CLOVER project, which aims to increase social connectedness and help local communities cope with the impact of Covid-19, as part of a national initiative to embed social prescribing in communities and healthcare.

CLOVER will increase access to social prescribing activities in the HR9 postcode area, especially for those over 65, the rurally isolated and carers, in order to improve mental and physical wellbeing.  It’s a partnership project*, co-ordinated and led by Ross-on-Wye Community Development Trust, which will run for 14 months between March 2021 and April 2022.

The group’s project is one of only 37 selected from over 200 applications to the Thriving Communities programme, which is a unique partnership between NASP, Arts Council England, Historic England, Natural England, NHS England and NHS Improvement, Sport England, Money & Pensions Service and NHS Charities Together.  Their collective aim is to strengthen the range of social prescribing activities offered locally, enhance collaboration and networking between local organisations and enable social prescribing link workers to connect people to more creative community activities and services.

Jane Roberts, Chair of the Ross-on-Wye Community Development Trust, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that the Thriving Communities Fund understands our vision for social prescribing in the community.  With intense competition for the funding, we are over the moon and we feel this is a huge step for us in achieving what our charity originally set out to do. 

“The strong application submitted by Ross-on-Wye Community Development Trust, demonstrated to NASP that this powerful partnership, supported by the Ross Good Neighbours Buddy Network, would benefit local communities in far reaching ways, supporting people who have suffered during the global pandemic.

“Now the hard work begins and we very much look forward to working alongside our partners, who are all committed professionals and care deeply about the wellbeing of our communities.”

The group will work with other voluntary and social enterprise groups to create exciting volunteering opportunities, which will help support and deliver the new project.

To find out more and get involved, visit www.rosscdt.org.uk/volunteer.


*  CLOVER is a partnership project between Ross-on-Wye Community Development Trust, Taurus Healthcare, Herefordshire Council, Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, Ignite CIC and Rural Media.


Photo by Molly Basten (as part of the Ross in Lockdown Photo Competition 2020)