Archive for the ‘Rural’ tag
Spending review hits rural areas
When the day came it wasn’t all bad news – but the devil will be very much in the detail, which will become apparent over the following weeks and months.
Superfast broadband is to be piloted in four rural areas, and Sure Start funding is secure in cash terms.
And pensioners will benefit from the continuation of free bus passes, eye tests and prescription charge, as well as Winter Fuel Payments and cold weather premiums – which will be made permanent.
But as we feared, there are also some very big losers…
Rural Services Network – October 2010
Restrictions of rural broadband
Today’s technological age is creating opportunities for all of us – whether households, businesses or service providers. But if you live in a rural area, you and your community are increasingly missing out.
Here’s our roundup on rural broadband – its provision, impact and the government’s response.
Rural Services Network – March 2010
Maximising social capital
During a recession, areas should look towards their strengths to help them survive.
In which case, should we revisit ‘social capital’, a term that was frequently used until a few years ago and which is greater in rural areas than urban ones?
First though, a reminder: what is social capital, how is it measured and what are its benefits?
In the 1950s, Aneurin Bevan, who oversaw the creation of the NHS, talked of ‘the living tapestry of a mixed community… [where] the doctor grocer, the butcher and the farm labourer all lived in the same street.’
This about sums it up: social capital is people’s links and relationships, or lack of them, to the people and organisations that can affect their lives.
Rural Services Network - March 2009
Saving rural pubs
How much are you prepared to pay for a pint, and do you think village pubs are an essential part of rural life?
Changing social habits mean beers sales and the number of village pubs have been declining for decades. But now things are particularly bad. The costs of raw materials have increased. So too has duty, which is set to increase further.
And now the recession will make things worse.
Rural Services Network - February 2009
Intergenerational working
Robert Bullard The Guardian, Wednesday April 9 2008
Studley, in Warwickshire, is a village that on the surface has no shortage of facilities for young people; there are sports clubs, youth clubs and a leisure centre. But many local teenagers complained that the prices were too high, leaving them with little choice but to hang around the streets. Until recently, many villagers regarded them as typical of modern youngsters: hanging around and probably using bad language and being disruptive. But all that changed when a new project, pioneered by Stratford-on-Avon district council, attempted to bridge the generation gap between young and old.
Joanne Rooke, the council’s community engagement officer, says young people in rural areas can get drawn into antisocial behaviour because there is often little for them to do, which is compounded by a lack of trust between younger and older generations. She spearheaded the first phase of the intergenerational scheme in autumn 2006 with a cookery project, bringing together a group of 14 boys and older men.
