Community Action in South East Kent - completed project

CASK (Community Action in South Kent) was a partnership working in rural South Kent, made up of voluntary and community groups, Shepway District Council, Ashford Borough Council and other statutory organisations. The CASK area runs from Charing in the north to Dungeness in the south, Dymchurch in the east and Newenden to the west.

Over the course of the programme (1999–2006), the partnership spent approximately £9.7 million in local communities to improve opportunities and services for the people who live there. Approximately £2.7 million was funded through the SRB funding, with further funding coming from local authorities and parish councils, National Lottery Boards, Countryside Agency, the Environmental Agency, Kent Rural Development Area, South East Arts, European Union and many more.

Projects supported included:

• Lydd House: a community resource that provides a facility for community and voluntary groups and users. There is a co-ordinator available to run, monitor and promote the House and its activities. Lydd House provides accommodation for a wide range of projects targeting families and children in the Lydd, Romney Marsh and surrounding areas. Lydd House is a registered charity.
• Marsh Academy Sports Centre: SRB funding helped to build a new community sports hall and floodlit all-weather outdoor facilities for the benefit of all the local communities on Romney Marsh and of visitors/tourists.
• Romney Marsh Countryside Project: aims to care for the natural environment and built heritage around Romney Marsh. The plan is to meet this aim by developing ‘green tourism’, and community development and involvement initiatives across the Marsh. The project offers a wide range of activities, such as guided cycling and walking, and provides information on conservation issues through talks, school visits, organising village fairs, newsletters and a website
• Romney Marsh Visitor Centre: an environmentally friendly facility which serves as an introduction to the wildlife and history of the Romney Marsh Natural Area, while promoting the area as a rural tourism destination. The centre also serves as a training venue for unemployed and disabled people, during its construction and afterwards.

Many smaller projects were also supported through CASK Community Chest. CASK ended in April 2006 but other funding is available for rural projects and the regeneration team is happy to give advice.