BOSSES OF an organisation promoting the Shropshire Hills face losing £66,000 of Government funding by 2015, they revealed today.

Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is urgently looking for new areas of funding after learning its Defra grant is likely to decrease by 5.4 per cent each year for the next four years due to massive national budget cuts.

It also expects to lose all public funding for its Sustainable Development Fund, which has given £377,000 of grants to 100 community projects since 2005.

Phil Holden, partnership manager, said he was doing everything possible to maintain the Craven Arms-based body’s services and protect the jobs of its 13 staff.

The AONB, which was designated in 1958, extends from The Wrekin to the Clun Forest and from the Stiperstones across to the Clee Hills.

Mr Holden said: “We have now only got around £19,000 to distribute this year through the Sustainable Development Fund, compared with £80,000 in previous years. That money has come through donations, grants and the Friends of Shropshire Hills group.

“The cuts will definitely have a big impact and this year we are looking at funding nine community projects, individuals and businesses, compared with 16 last year.”

But Mr Holden was confident the AONB could continue to develop its services, despite Shropshire Council also having cut its annual grant to the body from £55,000 to £45,000.

He said: “The cuts could have implications for jobs, but we have time to adapt to that.

“As things stand we have actually been very successful in getting new grants for projects.

“Funding for our activities for the coming year is actually greater than previously as we have managed to bring in funding from about 20 different sources.

“But competition for funding is going to increase so we’ll have to carry on doing our best.”

Mr Holden has written to parish and town councils, asking them to support the Friends by providing regular annual subscriptions.

The Friends of the Shropshire Hills AONB has been relaunched, aimed at maintaining the Sustainable Development Fund.

By Danny Carden