NRS celebrates community growth
During the last decade, NRS has invested over £10 million socio-economic funding into more than 1,400 community driven projects to create sustainable growth.
Cymro Vintage shop supported with Menter Mon funding
Our work with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has helped community partners to turn their great ideas into reality and support the communities nearest NRS sites to diversify, grow and thrive. The NDA believes that decommissioning activities should benefit local communities and that we must provide a positive legacy once our work is completed. We are immensely proud of our work to date and are very ambitious to make further progress.
Every pound of the £1,034,812 invested in 2023/4 attracted another £10.47 in match funding, enabling 82 organisations to achieve their ambitions of creating employment, skills opportunities, economic resilience, green growth and positive social impact.
Menter Môn has been awarded £500,000 over for the next two years to develop resilient communities through its new Enterprise Gwynedd and Anglesey programme in North West Wales.
This will create an enterprise hub to assist 200 start-up businesses, nurture the next generation of community leaders through a social enterprise apprenticeship scheme and help 50 existing social enterprises to grow by developing new products and services.
Dafydd Gruffydd, Managing Director, commented: “NRS support has enabled Menter Môn to secure significant funding for a range of community and enterprise projects over the last decade. We are now delivering the Shared Prosperity Programme in the region, and the match funding provided by the NRS has helped unlock over £4 million to help communities establish social enterprises, support new businesses, and add to the area’s heritage and culture. This will improve resilience and ensure the long-term prosperity of rural communities.”
Three six-month work placements were created at the Art Station, Saxmundham with the help of £22,500 funding.
Clare Palmier, Arts Centre Director, commented: “We’ve really enjoyed supporting the young people and helping them to learn new skills and get experience of a working environment. They’ve met and worked with many different creatives and received external mentoring and training. They’ve made great progress and their self-confidence, self-belief and communications skills are much stronger. They now have a good personal toolkit which will support them in the next steps of their career and personal journey.”
Art Station welcome walk
NRS funding of up to £10,000 contributes to innovative projects that can deliver sustainable economic growth. Some examples include:
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£5,000 towards a £103,000 project to improve the Style Acre tearoom at a gardening centre near Harwell site that provides skills and employment opportunities for adults with learning difficulties.
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£10,000 towards a £58,124 scheme to enable Maldon District Council to establish a refrigerated mobile supermarket van service to meet the needs of people struggling with travel costs during the cost-of-living crisis.
The Style Acre tearoom kitchen
Good neighbour level funding of up to £2,000 has helped choirs, community events and venues, play groups, play parks, schools, sports clubs and leisure facilities across the UK – and even an archaeological dig in Anglesey, North Wales.
Rob Fletcher, NRS CEO, commented: “I’m proud of our commitment in delivering transformational projects aimed at securing sustainable futures for our communities. By investing in training, skills, infrastructure, and the environment, we’re laying the groundwork for lasting change. Our focus isn’t just on short term fixes, but on building robust foundations that empower individuals and communities. Through strategic socio-economic funding, we’re not only addressing immediate needs but also paving the way for growth and well-being.”
“Our delivery on these vital fronts is not only enriching lives today but will also ensure that future generations inherit communities that are resilient and thriving.”
Jamie Reed, NDA Director of Socio-economics added: “It is a privilege to be part of a team committed to working with local partners to help improve, grow and diversify the economies in those communities closest to our sites.”
“The socio-economic funding we have provided across the UK has leveraged millions of pounds of further investment. Supporting significant projects that enable permanent and sustainable change in our site communities is an achievement we take pride in.”
“Supporting essential projects helps us deliver our commitment to leaving a positive, long-lasting legacy for future generations, by creating jobs for the local community, as well as delivering environmental, economic regeneration and social benefits.”
Click here to find out more about the NRS funding scheme and how to apply.
The NDA recently published its new strategy that sets out its obligations and strategic approach to supporting its communities and to maximising the social impact of its work. You can read it here .