Health and Wellbeing Travel Grants

We are excited to announce the launch of our Health and Wellbeing Travel Grant. Organisations working with community groups visiting the South Downs National Park may be able to benefit from our Health and Wellbeing Travel Grant. This can help with the costs of a trip by contributing towards the transport.

Our Health and Wellbeing Travel Grant is designed to:

connect communities with the special qualities of the National Park, through getting outdoors, nature-based activities and real-world experiences in the South Downs National Park
support health and wellbeing outcomes for the participants.

The Health and Wellbeing Travel Grant is now live. Please check that you are eligible by reading the criteria below and then complete and submit this application form

What does the Health and Wellbeing Grant cover?

Organisations or community groups can apply for a grant of up to £250 (to cover transport costs ) into specific sites ** in South Downs National Park.

Eligibility criteria

The site visited must be in the National Park
The purpose of the trip must be for connection to nature for health and wellbeing of participants.
The group applying must support one of our target audiences. These are those experiences mental or physical health issues and/or are experiencing loneliness and isolation and/or are coming from areas of high levels of social deprivation e.g. Coastal strip, Bordon, some rural areas of National Park.
Groups must provide a feedback form on their trip.
Payment will be by invoice after the trip.
It will be possible to rearrange events if a trip needs to be called off due to things like inclement weather.
Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. If your application is successful, you will be sent an email to confirm the grant. We aim to respond within five working days.
Your organisation is eligible for one grant per year.
Visits and trips can take place at any time in the year but must have been taken before the end of March 2025.

The grants are administered and funded by the South Downs National Park Authority, with additional funding from the South Downs National Park Trust. There are several sites within National Park with toilets, cafes and walking routes that are accessible that you can access to improve health and wellbeing outcomes.

*The South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) administers these grants to help community groups connect with sites and providers in National Park. The SDNPA bears no responsibility for the services provided by these organisations and organisations are responsible for checking appropriate safety standards and liability insurance when visiting sites.

How do I apply?

Ensure the travel grant is open by looking at the top of the page.
Choose a site to visit and/or agree a provisional date. You will need to get quotes for provider costs and/or travel costs.
Use our directory to help find a site.
Plan your transport for your trip through Community Transport Sussex at travelgrants@ctsussex.org.uk. Think sustainable.
Once you have received a quote please complete and submit this application form

Benefits of the Health and wellbeing travel Grant:

increased time spent in outdoor spaces will benefit mental health and wellbeing
access to larger-scale landscapes like National Parks is an important part of our connection to, and relationship with, nature.

Subscribe to our mailing list to make sure you are kept up to date with news about our grants programme and news from across the National Park learning network.

We are constantly reviewing the administering of this grant. If you decide not to apply it would be helpful to learn why. Please send an email explaining why to: HealthandWellbeingGrant@southdowns.gov.uk