Waitrose has partnered with the Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) to offer joint ‘Happiness Grants’, which will fund community grassroots projects addressing challenges such as food poverty, mental health, loneliness and developmental skills.
Six initial community projects will be receiving the grants, some of which include a meal delivery service tackling rural isolation in Pewsey, Wiltshire, and a training provider delivering rural skills and vocational courses in Talgarth, Wales.
The chosen projects will also be paired with a local store from the supermarket chain, offering community engagement, mentorship and fundraising opportunities.
The PCF has also awarded Happiness Grants to three farming organisations — Lincolnshire Rural Support Network, Shropshire Rural Support and Warwickshire Rural Hub — to improve access to emergency mental health and financial services for farmers and help to share environmentally friendly farming practices in the community.
“Waitrose is extremely proud to be a founding corporate partner of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, and we’re excited to embark on this new phase of our partnership,” Waitrose social impact and health lead Lindsey Crompton said.
“Inspiring happiness in communities is a central component of the John Lewis Partnership Purpose, and The Prince’s Countryside Fund’s rural grants programmes embody this mission. We very much look forward to seeing how these exciting, grassroots projects develop.”
The PCF director Keith Halstead added: “We’d like to thank Waitrose for their continued support. This significant investment is making a real difference to people’s lives and responds to the needs of farming and rural communities.
“Whether our funding is empowering community-led projects like Stoke Ferry Community Enterprise in Norfolk or meeting day-to-day running costs of farm support groups, we ensure family farms have access to practical, local help when they need it.”
The news comes as Waitrose shoppers have taken to social media to complain about the supermarket giant’s loyalty scheme, describing it as “very frustrating”.
