William launches fund during Dartmoor visit

The Prince of Wales has visited a Dartmoor village as applications for a fund to help projects there opened.

Crowds gathered in Princetown, Devon, to greet Prince William as he went around meeting people, community groups and a pair of alpacas.

His visit was part of the launch of the Princetown Community Fund, which will offer £250,000 made up of grants between £500 and £40,000 each for local social, economic and environmental projects.

Emma Magee, head of communities and nature for the Duchy of Cornwall and Dartmoor, said the fund was a "great opportunity to celebrate Princetown".

The fund was set up by the prince after he decided to stop personally benefiting from £1.5m in rent generated by nearby Dartmoor Prison.

The category C jail has been empty since July 2024 after high levels of radon were found in prisoners' accommodation.

Prince William said he would like the money retained through the rent to be redirected into the village and Dartmoor following concerns about what impact the prison's closure would have locally.

Magee said the prince was "hugely committed" to have a thriving future for Princetown and the fund should help with this ambition.

"It's about making the space for local people to take control of some of the things they would like to see happen and then to fund that, to make their dreams become a reality," she said.

During his visit, the prince went to the new Gather & Moor community hub and used a historic letterpress to print a broadsheet marking the occasion.

He also spoke to local school pupils and toured Princetown Youth Club, which has previously benefited from Duchy funding to improve its facilities, including replacing a leaky roof.

The prince also met two alpacas called Treacle and Noodle, who belong to local business owners Gari and Karen Mann, who run Hooves and Moor alpaca trekking.

Giving the animals a stroke, Prince William asked how the alpacas had fared in the summer heat with their thick wool, with their owners saying they had "been quite good".

Prince William then drew laughs from the crowd as he said: "They look very well looked after. Are they allowed in the house?"

Douglas Jenner, owner of Old Police Station Cafe in Princetown, was one of the people who spoke to the prince.

He described Prince William as "easy to talk to" and said he wanted to know about what impact the prison closure was having on the village.

Jenner said, while he did not believe the impact had been too bad, it was "very important" to have the investment from the prince's fund.

"It needed investment, to be fair," Jenner added.

"I think a lot of people would agree that Princetown was looking a bit sad and sorry for itself."

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