Natural England

Natural England’s ALSF Grant Scheme aims to support projects that reduce the effects of aggregate extraction on local communities and the natural environment.

We support projects which involve and deliver benefits for one or more of the following themes:

• Landscape and Nature Conservation
• Access and Informal Recreation
• Health and Well-being
• Education and Understanding
• Evidence Gathering

How to apply

All projects receiving funding this financial year must be completed by 20th March 2009, therefore in order to streamline the application process this year, there will be no Expression of Interest to complete.

Natural England ’s 2008/2009 ALSF Grant Scheme will reopen for applications from Monday 15th December. We have a limited amount of funding still available for projects completing by 20th March 2009. Projects will be assessed on a first come, first served basis until all the remaining funds have been allocated. No applications will be accepted after the final deadline of 5pm Friday 16th January 2009.

Please note: At this time we are seeking applications for this financial year only. We aim to launch the scheme for FY 2009/10 and FY 2010/11 in mid January. Full details of future application windows will shortly be published on Natural England ’s website.

Applicants are advised to follow this step by step guide when making an application:

Step 1 - Read through Guidance Notes

Step 2 - Contact relevant Grants Advisor to discuss your project proposal (see list below for which Grants Advisor to contact)

Natural England offices will be closed from Wednesday 24th December until Friday 2nd January although some staff members may be away from the office for a longer period. If you have difficulty contacting your regional contact, in order to avoid delays, please try another member of the team.

Defra Region	Main Counties in that Region	Contact
North West	Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cumbria	Rachel Howgate Tel: 0161 234 0207 Email: Rachel.howgate@naturalengland.org.uk
North East	Cleveland, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Leeds	Wendy Wilson Tel: 0161 234 0206 Email: Wendy.wilson@naturalengland.org.uk
Yorkshire & Humber	North, South and West Yorkshire, former county of Humberside, Sheffield	Ian Williamson Tel: 01476 584835 Email: Ian.williamson@naturalengland.org.uk
East Midlands	Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire	Jonathan Clarke Tel: 01223 533641 Email: Jonathan.clarke@naturalengland.org.uk
East of England	Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk	Diana Curtis Tel: 01223 533642 Email: Diana.curtis@naturalengland.org.uk
South East	Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Greater London, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, West Sussex	Jonathan Clarke Tel: 01223 533641 Email: Jonathan.clarke@naturalengland.org.uk
West Midlands	Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, West Midlands	Wendy Wilson Tel: 0161 234 0206 Email: Wendy.wilson@naturalengland.org.uk
South West	County of Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Scilly Isles, Wiltshire	Rachel Howgate Tel: 0161 234 0207 Email: Rachel.howgate@naturalengland.org.uk
RSPB	National	Jonathan Clarke Tel: 01223 533641 Email: Jonathan.clarke@naturalengland.org.uk
Geological Groups and Geodiversity Projects	National	Ian Williamson Tel: 01476 584835 Email: Ian.williamson@naturalengland.org.uk

Step 3 – Complete application form supplied by Grants Advisor

Step 4 – Submit completed application form to alsfgrants@naturalengland.org.uk

The deadline for applications is 5pm Friday 16th January 2009

For General enquiries please contact the ALSF Grants Management team on Tel: 01476 584821 or Email: alsfgrants@naturalengland.org.uk

Postal Address:
ALSF Grants Team
Natural England
3rd Floor
Bridgewater House
Whitworth Street
Manchester
M1 6LT