The CLA Charitable Trust is funded almost entirely by subscriptions from members of the CLA, an organisation which represents nearly 30,000 farmers, landowners and rural businesses.
The trust provides grants to charities and community organisations across England and Wales who share its vision to help connect young people and those who are disabled or disadvantaged with the countryside and which are delivering access, recreational and educational opportunities within and about the countryside.
In Cambridgeshire, £4,000 is awarded to Rowan, a Cambridge based charity and arts centre for people with learning disabilities. The funding will go towards an all-terrain wheelchair and a forest school kitchen for its Rowan Rangers project which aims to help students explore and learn about nature.
Russell Cuthbert, Rowan forest school leader, said: “Helping people access exciting and meaningful experiences in the countryside is a key goal for Rowan Rangers, our new forest school project. The money from the CLA will help increase choice and accessibility and enable our students to develop their independence and improve their health and wellbeing whilst learning about nature and creating art.”
Since its foundation in 1980, the CLA Charitable Trust has given more than £1.9m in grants to a wide variety of organisations and projects.
Bridget Biddell, Chairman of CLACT, said: “We are delighted to support the work of Rowan, a charity that is having such a fantastic impact on the lives of the students it works with. The CLA Charitable Trust is proud to support projects such as this as we know that encouraging people to engage in nature and the countryside can have a profoundly positive impact on health and wellbeing.”