VILLAGE halls, shops, pubs and other enterprises across the Durham Dales and North Yorkshire could be missing out on a multi-million pound funding pot because they have not been identified as a community business.

The first phase of a research initiative across Teesdale, Weardale and rural North Yorkshire suggests many community buildings and social enterprises are unaware they could be eligible to grants through the £150m Power to Change fund.

Yvonne Probert, head of community services at Durham Community Action, said: “Our initial findings are very early, we’ve only just spoken to stakeholders and are about to enter a very important phase by making contact with people at community businesses.

“There is a discussion to be had about who is providing support to community businesses because it is a specialist area.

“And we aren’t aware of many community businesses that have got grants so there is certainly an opportunity to explore.”

Durham Community Action, in partnership with Community First Yorkshire, was one of only three organisations to be awarded a research grant from the Power to Change Research Institute’s last round of funding.

They secured almost £30,000 from the Big Lottery-backed initiative which was set up to address social needs by growing community businesses across England.

The project launched earlier this summer and so far the team has spoken to people from business support services like enterprise agencies and councils to start learning about the size, scale, scope and potential growth and future of the area’s community buildings and social enterprises.

Jo Laverick, executive director of Durham Community Action, said: “We think this research is very timely and will give us a focus to talk with the trustees and volunteers who run community buildings about how they see their local services for the future.

“Village hall and other hubs of activity in rural communities are locally well known assets which are managed by the community.

“They are excellent bases from which to develop and deliver a range of services which provide benefits for the local communities they serve.”

In September researchers will enter the second phase of work, talking directly to community businesses, and hope their work will lead to more of them accessing specialist support and applying for grants.

Ms Probert said that some community businesses might not even recognise themselves as one, like a pub that hosts a weekly knit and natter group and delivers Post Office services or a village hall with rooms that can be hired for meetings or functions.

She said: “People running community businesses might not even think of themselves as trading but some are clearly providing a community service, become a hub and we need to look at the support and funding streams they are accessing.”

For those enterprises and organisations that can be identified by four characteristics as a community business- being locally routed like a village shop, trading for the benefit of a community like a village hall, being accountable to the community with local people given a voice in its running and whose benefits stay in the area- grants could be available through Power to Change's three funding programmes.

Bright Ideas gives the opportunity to test a business idea, Trade Up Fund can go towards a business plan to look into expansion and the Business Fund aims to make community businesses more sustainable.

Ms Probert said: “I think there is the opportunity for those who are more entrepreneurial to take advantage of funding streams and to think differently about how they are selling themselves going forward.”

She urged anyone who thinks they could be involved in running a community business and would like to discuss it to get in touch with Durham Community Action on 01388-742043 or email her at yvonne.probert@durhamcommunityaction.org.uk

More information and an e-survey can be found on the website durhamcommunityaction.org.uk/rural-community-hub-research

The research will continue until the end of November. The findings will be then be collated and leaders hope to generate a significant research report in the New Year which can be used to inform future policy, practise and support across all rural communities.