Each year (until around 2010), VARC made a fund of £3,000 available to encourage locally rooted artistic activity that might not have been possible otherwise.

The fund was open to individuals and community groups based in the region for projects that would:

• Result in a new artwork or body of work that would not otherwise have been made.
• Relate directly to the local landscape or community, providing tangible benefit to residents either through the creation of the work or through participation in the process.

Through this initiative, VARC championed grassroots creativity, collaboration, and connection between artists and rural communities. The supported projects reflect the diversity and inventiveness of the area, encompassing sculpture, textiles, photography, painting, and community workshops.

Projects supported by the Local Projects Fund include:

• A series of creative workshops for carers in Bellingham, organised by Freeflow in partnership with Carers Northumberland and led by artist Rachel Phillimore.
• A mural commission for Bellingham Heritage Centre by artist Rachel Pearson, alongside improvements to the Centre’s temporary exhibition lighting.
• A textile collage project in Byrness, led by artist Sue Moorhouse, where residents created an altar frontal depicting St Francis and native wildlife, displayed in both the village church and hall.
• A photographic commission by the North Tyne and Redesdale Agricultural Society, with shepherdess and photographer Helen Brown documenting Bellingham Show.
• Woodland wildlife sculptures by forester Simon Banks, commissioned by the Corsenside Recreation Access Group to enhance Fourlaws Forest and encourage local recreation.
• A community wall panel project in Elsdon, led by local artist Carolle Morpeth, bringing together individually painted canvases depicting significant features of the village.
• Saturday morning art sessions for children in Bellingham (2007–2008), run by Freeflow to nurture creativity and engagement among young residents.
• Support for the Friends of Rupert’s Wood, whose work with children, young people, and vulnerable adults included building a new footbridge through community-led design and making workshops.

Through the Local Projects Fund, VARC fostered artistic opportunity, participation, and pride of place, demonstrating the transformative potential of small-scale, locally focused arts investment in rural communities.