RURAL REPORT

Community: Case study - The Grosvenor Estate

Nicholas Dobbs, Rural Estates’ Director at The Grosvenor Estate, details some of the initiatives they've created, to give something back to their local communities
2 minutes to read
Categories: Rural Report advice-for-landowners

“It has long been the purpose of our activities to deliver lasting commercial and social benefit, contributing to the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the communities we are part of,” says Nicholas Dobbs, Rural Estates’ Director.

"But the need to work collaboratively with, and to support, the communities we are part of has never been greater than during the coronavirus pandemic"

_Nicholas Dobbs, Rural Estates’ Director, May 2020

“But the need to work collaboratively with, and to support, the communities we are part of has never been greater than during the coronavirus pandemic and all parts of the estate are working to offer practical support, and in many cases a lifeline, to help businesses and individuals overcome the present situation.”

Some of the of rural initiatives include:

  • Offering rent deferrals and rent-free arrangements to independent and vulnerable retail tenants and other commercial businesses, including farms, to help with cashflow concerns
  • Helping suppliers with cashflow by paying them in advance and as quickly as possible for works they are completing, providing a life-line to help them overcome the current situation, such as suppliers who are providing important repairs and inspections to ensure the continued safety and comfort of tenants in their homes
  • A foodbank supporting families in need in the north-west Highlands received a further boost after a freezer full of venison was donated by the Reay Forest Estate, part of the Grosvenor Estate. The foodbank was established thanks to a grant from the Westminster Foundation, an independent organisation representing the charitable activity of The Duke of Westminster and Grosvenor businesses
  • Helping school children without broadband in rural locations access the internet to enable remote learning.
  • Facilitating ‘safe distance’ home delivery of free meals to children impacted by school closures as well as assisting with food deliveries to self-isolating households from local food shops in our communities
  • When a community honesty box business selling essential groceries in Abbeystead, Lancashire, needed to expand to support increasing demand from vulnerable and isolating residents through the pandemic, the estate helped by building and installing a bespoke shed in just two days.