Housing developers launch Crowdfund Rochester community initiatives

A new crowdfunding initiative called Crowdfund Rochester by Countryside and Hyde is launching this month in partnership with the crowdfunding platform Spacehive.

Crowdfund Rochester will give people in the local area the opportunity to create and fund projects which will make Rochester an even better place to live, work, study and visit.

With a fund of £50,000 available to support crowdfunding projects in the local area, Crowdfund Rochester will equity-match the funding for a variety of community initiatives in Rochester and across Medway for the next 10 years, with the initial aim to get five to six projects in progress this year.

Crowdfund Rochester is launching on 12 June at 6pm at the Rochester Corn Exchange, with representatives from Countryside, Hyde, Spacehive and Cllr Alan Jarrett, Leader of Medway Council, in attendance. Rochester residents are invited to attend the launch, where they will be told more about this exciting new initiative and how they can get involved.

Sign up for the free Rochester launch event

In order to use resources in the most impactful way possible, Crowdfund Rochester will respond to campaigns with demonstrable community support. By using Spacehive’s online, user-friendly platform, the maximum resources can be focused on achieving the project goals.

The initiative is being offered as part of Countryside and Hyde’s new £419m regeneration scheme, Rochester Riverside, which is currently underway.

Andy Fancy, Managing Director for North and South London at Countryside Partnerships South, said:

“We’re incredibly excited for the launch of Crowdfund Rochester, which will generate and provide funding for projects that will benefit the community. We want people to come forward with their ideas on how they want to improve the local area; from community gardens and street murals, to festivals and sports facilities.

“This exciting new initiative, in tandem with investment in regeneration and new homes such as Rochester Riverside, are vital in creating a thriving Rochester.”

David Gannicott, Group Director of Business Development at the Hyde Group, said: “This is a great opportunity for local businesses and residents to bring their ideas forward on how to enhance the local community. We are pleased to support the launch of Crowdfund Rochester. It is a really positive initiative to improve local facilities and bring people together.”

Cllr Alan Jarrett, Leader of Medway Council, said:

“I am pleased to support our partners at Countryside and Hyde, who are delivering the new Rochester Riverside development and have launched a crowdfunding initiative to further benefit local residents.

“Rochester is already a fantastic place to live, with a strong sense of community and this new initiative will give residents even more opportunities to voice the local projects they’d like to see and take part in. I look forward to seeing the first crowdfunding projects get underway this year.”

Rochester Riverside is the region’s flagship regeneration project. Delivered by Countryside and Hyde over the next 12 years, it will create a new mixed-tenure community of up to 1,400 new homes with provision for a primary school, nursery, as well as a hotel, parking, open space and landscaping.

Construction at the scheme has begun on the first three phases, comprising 489 homes and a hotel, along with 2,200 sqm of commercial floorspace and landscaping. The first wave of new homes is anticipated to complete in the first quarter of 2019.

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