PEOPLE looking to make the Yorkshire Dales National Park a better place are being invited to apply for a grant from the Sustainable Development Fund (SDF).

The fund has £175,000 to allocate by the end of April 2022.

An annual summary of the fund’s activity last year shows that it split £160,000 among 30 projects.

The 2020/21 grants ranged in size from £917 for fencing around open mine shafts on Grassington Moor to £20,000 for hyperfast ‘fibre to the premises’ broadband connections for residents and businesses in Mallerstang (Eden District) and Cotterdale (Richmondshire).

John Peel from Outhgill in Mallerstang said contractors were digging trenches so that cable could be laid by Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN).

“The B4RN broadband will make life wonderful. It will make places like Mallerstang more viable to live and work in,” he said.

Member Champion for Sustainable Development at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Carl Lis, said: “The installation of hyperfast broadband in remote communities was one of many great projects the SDF was able to support in the year to April. The work B4RN is doing has become particularly important during Covid.” If you have a project idea phone 01969 652337 or emailSDF@yorkshiredales.org.uk.”

Guidance notes can be found at the SDF webpage.