Farm businesses and projects in Devon and Cornwall are set to benefit from nearly £100,000 of grants, in the latest round of funding to be awarded by The Prince’s Countryside Fund.

The fund, established in 2010 by the Prince of Wales, has announced that it will be supporting 19 new projects overall throughout the UK through its grant giving programme. The aim of the fund is to improve the prospects of family farm businesses and the quality of rural life, and it has donated over £8.5 million to farms and rural communities in the past seven years.

Funding has been awarded to FarmCornwall, a service that helps families to respond to both the challenges and opportunities presented by farming. The grant enables them to continue to run their essential support service.

Edward Richardson from FarmCornwall said: “Yet again The Prince’s Countryside Fund has supported our project, for which we are extremely thankful. When we go to a farm and the farmer asks how much the support will cost, at a time when they are in need, we are able to say it will cost them nothing whilst they are in crisis. It is with some pride that we are able to say that the project is supported by The Prince’s Countryside Fund.”

A grant has also been awarded to Cosmic, a social enterprise and IT company in Devon, for them to continue to run their Rural Connection Project. This project aims to reach the remaining farm businesses who are digitally excluded, focusing on the upland areas of Dartmoor and Exmoor and offering one-to-one mentoring for up to 100 people.

Kate Doodson, joint chief executive of Cosmic, said: “We are delighted to be providing digital support and mentoring for farmers in our most rural locations of Dartmoor and Exmoor. Through our awarded grant, we will be able to transform farmers’ lives, enabling them to better understand the benefits of digital.”

Announcing the grant recipients, Claire Saunders, director of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, said: “We are thrilled to be able to support so many farming initiatives in this round of funding, alongside the support we offer to rural community based projects. Our recent report, Who’d be a Farmer Today? highlighted the disconnect that the general public has with farmers and the UK’s rural areas, and our grant programme is providing essential support during what is an uncertain time for people living and working in the countryside.”