Welcome to the Autumn 2024 Rural Services Partnership Spotlight

We are delighted to bring you the Autumn 2024 edition of the RSN Rural Services Partnership Spotlight. This quarterly publication provides a fantastic outlet for exchanging ideas and best practices that tackle the distinctive challenges and opportunities facing rural communities throughout the UK.

In this issue, we explore a wide range of fascinating topics, shedding light on the current state of rural services which will hopefully inform, inspire, and encourage collaboration among all stakeholders dedicated to improving the quality of life in rural areas.

New members

We had a flurry of new members join us in the run up to our well renowned National Rural Conference. You can view a highlight video of the Conference here and find out more about each of our new members by clicking on the logos below.

Reheat	Community First Yorkshire	Gloucestershire Rural Community Council	Humber and Wolds Rural Action
Voluntary Action Cumbria	Retrofit Information, Support and Expertise (RISE)	Healthwatch North Yorkshire	Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System

FEATURED ARTICLES

Retrofitting rural homes: exploring the new Warm Homes funding schemes
On 23 September 2024 the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (formerly known as the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund) and the Warm Homes: Local Grant (formerly known as the Home Upgrade Grant) were announced. Both schemes are now open for applications from local authorities and social housing providers across England, looking for funding to carry out retrofit measures across their housing stock.
Read more

Cash Solutions for rural businesses with SMEB Cube
Bringing cash services back to rural communities is what SMEB is undertaking with its payment Cube.
Local businesses can sign up to the service and as the Cube is designed to be in a safe and convenient place it’s easy for businesses to place their cash and daily takings in a secure location. Once cash is counted and checked for fitness, the funds are assigned to the recipient’s business bank account within 24 hours.
Read more

The Hidden Costs of Forcing a switchover to online-only TV: Rural Communities at Risk of Being Left Behind
In an era where the price of digital connectivity is too high, a new report by the consultancy group EY sheds light on the potential consequences of forcing a complete switch from terrestrial TV to internet-based broadcasting. The findings reveal a stark reality: millions of households, particularly the most vulnerable, could face significant financial burdens and reduced access to television services.
Read more

Community Heat: A Fair and Sustainable Model for Rural Regions
Community heat refers to local heating systems that provide energy to multiple homes from a central low-carbon source. These systems are designed to reduce fossil fuel reliance, enhance energy efficiency, and empower communities by giving them control over their energy supply. For rural regions, where energy infrastructure may be limited or off-grid, community heat offers a transformative solution addressing economic, sustainability, and ownership challenges.
Read more

A new Government and potential new issues for small business
As the new government settles into place, gets down to business, and with its first Budget looming on the horizon, there’s a lot of interest from our Forum members and micro and small business in general on potential changes to employment rules and regulations. These type of changes always make small and micro businesses nervous as they are often thought about and implemented with big business in mind and government forgets that the impacts on small and micro business are completely different from those intended.
Read more

The Dispensing Doctors’ Association launch (RAMP UP) campaign
The Dispensing Doctors’ Association has launched the Rural Access to Medicines and Pharmacy Services Under Pressure (RAMP UP) campaign. This calls for politicians to use their voice to secure fair pay for NHS GP dispensaries and for rural patients to secure equitable and sustainable access to NHS medicines. 
New analysis of pharmacy closures over the last two years shows that rural areas have been hit hardest by a wave of pharmacy closures. Around the country, nearly nine in 10 council areas across England have lost their pharmacies.
Read more

Youth Voice Census 2024: The Growing Challenge Of Finding Local Opportunities
Over 5,000 young people aged 11-30 completed the annual Youth Voice Census in 2024. This census is a deep dive into how young people in the UK feel about their lives, education and work experiences.
From this year's findings, we learned that location is more important than ever. Where you live has always mattered, but it is playing an increasing role in the lives of young people.
Read more

Learn Together: Digital Together
Cornwall Rural Community Charity’s Digital Together project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is delivered in partnerships with Cornwall Council, University of Exeter, University of Plymouth and Citizens Advice Cornwall to deliver a service that has benefitted countless individuals across Cornwall.
Read more

RABI Launches Joint Winter Wellbeing Appeal with RSABI
RABI, the charity at the heart of farming, has launched a new Winter Wellbeing fundraising appeal aimed at supporting farmers and their families during the challenging winter months. The joint appeal with RSABI, the agricultural charity for Scotland, was officially announced on Thursday 3 October at the prestigious Farmers Weekly Awards, where both organisations were the evening’s chosen charities as part of the publication’s 90th anniversary celebrations.
Read more

Rural business insights showcased by NICRE
The National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) has produced two new videos demonstrating how firms are adapting and innovating in an ever-changing business environment.

The rural business insights films showcase:

• Bamburgh Castle Inn, Seahouses - highlighting how a lack of affordable housing at the coast impacts staff recruitment and the measures in place to mitigate this.
• Particularly Good Potatoes, Wooler - detailing the impacts of unpredictable weather, why the business is reducing its carbon footprint and the advantages of selling directly to customers.
  Read more

ONH: Planning for Good launch a number of digital plan products
ONH: Planning for Good is delighted to have launched a number of digital plan products with clients over the last month. The government is keen to make planning digital and accessible for all – but what are the benefits over a PDF document and maps?
Read more

Charity Cancer Campaign Urges Farming Community to ‘Nip It In The Bud’
Farmers and people living in rural communities are being urged to ‘nip it in the bud’ and get checked for early signs of cancer - as part of a new UK-wide campaign by The Farming Community Network (FCN).
FCN is working in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support to raise awareness of cancer risks, signs and symptoms, and to encourage early detection.
Farmers, farm workers and people living in rural communities can have lower access to cancer services and support due to the nature of their work and rural life, often in isolated areas.
Read more

How does biogas work?
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a 100% green energy supplier is knowing that we are supporting independent businesses around the UK. Many of our generators have an inspirational story to tell and we are proud to be part of it.
We visited dairy farmer Stephen at his farm in Norfolk to find out what inspired him to invest in an anaerobic digester (AD) and why his zero-waste approach to farming is so important.
Read more

Examining the impact of health inequalities on cancer and blood disorder patients
The Patients Association is carrying out work to advance health equity by addressing social determinants of health for people living with cancer and blood disorders.
The Patients Association has found that cancer and blood disorder patients that experience health inequalities have worse health and care outcomes and experience of care than those who don’t. Delays in symptom presentation, low uptake of screening programmes and less engagement with mainstream services by at risk communities are underpinned by low health literacy, mistrust of mainstream services, cultural barriers, stigmatisation and poor experiences of care.
Read more

Reflections on the Inaugural Housing Community Summit: A New Dawn for Social Housing?
The first-ever Housing Community Summit, a collaborative effort by the National Housing Federation and the Chartered Institute of Housing, convened in Liverpool, bringing together the UK’s social housing sector. This landmark event couldn’t have been more timely, coming just two months after Labour’s landslide victory in the general election. The summit offered a unique platform for sector leaders to grapple with the implications of this seismic political shift and to chart a course for the future of social housing in Britain.
Read more

College in Cornwall trials net zero maize farming
The Rural Business School at Duchy College has launched its innovative Farm Net Zero maize trials at the Stoke Climsland campus to investigate how the College can reduce its environmental impact of maize cultivation, a key crop for many dairy farmers in the South West.
These trials aim to explore more sustainable farming methods while maintaining crop yield and quality, essential for both the agricultural economy and environmental stewardship
Read more

Heart of the community: Mid Glamorgan pub supports local people with community and charity events
The White Cross Inn in Grosewen, near Caerphilly, is supporting its local community by running a variety of events to help bring people together, raise money for charity and tackle social isolation.
Publican Mair Arthur, who has run the freehold since 2011, has worked hard to make the pub the beating heart of the local community.
The pub, which dates back to 1750 and is wet-led (serving only drinks and no food) is situated in the tiny village of Grosewen, overlooking the town of Caerphilly. It is well known for its community events and fundraising for various charities.
Read more

Creating more choice of care and support in Westmorland and Furness
The area of Westmorland and Furness is a historic and scenic county of northwestern England. Geographically the third largest local authority in England, it is home to approximately 225,000 people. Some of the county towns are in rural areas, which can make it difficult for people to have a choice of local services and supports that work for them.
Read more

Dorset Energy Advice Partnership Launch
Citizens Advice and Southern Gas Network (SGN) have formed a partnership in order to provide Dorset residents with access to free energy advice.
The Dorset Energy Advice Partnership, has enabled the funding of an Energy Advice Bus which was officially opened by The Mayor of Portland, Cllr Sheila Miles at a launch in Easton Gardens, Portland, Dorset.
The Dorset Energy Advice Team will provide free energy advice to households across Dorset who are struggling with costs, who cannot access existing services due to rural isolation, restricted mobility, cost of fuel or have limited access to public transport.
Read more

FARM FORWARD demo events to explore the power of wireless technologies in agriculture
Hartpury Digital Innovation Farm is excited to announce a series of FARM FORWARD Demonstration Events that will showcase the transformative potential of wireless technologies in agriculture. Funded by the River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSPAWIR) project, these events aim to highlight how cutting-edge wireless solutions can revolutionise farming practices, enhance efficiency - and support sustainability across rural industries.
Read more

Working to keep you safe and warm
We believe that everyone should have access to reliable and safe heat no matter their personal circumstance. All customers are unique, and we work hard to ensure our customers and their loved one’s safety by offering a variety of free services to keep you safe, warm and independent in your own home including:
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CJS Focus on Forestry and Arboriculture
“It is widely acknowledged that as the Forestry and Arb sectors continue to grow, we are facing challenges finding people with the right skills and experience to fill these vacancies”, so says Becky Wilkinson, RFS Learning & Outreach Manager in the lead article Growing Future Foresters. The article opens by offering some advice for young people looking for their first job in the industry: “our number one piece of advice is always – get a driving licence” saying that you can’t: “safely transport a chainsaw on a bike and you certainly can’t tow a chipper with it!”
Read more

The People’s Champion is 85 years old
Citizens Advice was started just after the start of World War 2. Whilst it has grown and developed over the intervening years, the ethos hasn’t changed. We are here to help anyone and everyone, whoever they are, whatever their problem, giving confidential, impartial and non-judgemental advice free of charge.
We have stood the test of time largely because of dedicated volunteers who give their time so freely. All our staff and volunteers receive comprehensive, ongoing training and support to ensure the people we help receive a high quality service.
Read more

University Medical Expert Is First In England To Achieve New Remote And Rural Medicine Accreditation
A University of Central Lancashire Professor has become the first person in England to receive a new credential recognising the specialist skills needed to deliver urgent care in remote and rural locations.
The Director of the National Centre for Remote and Rural Medicine, Professor Stuart Maitland-Knibb, has been awarded the new specialist General Medical Council (GMC) approved Rural and Remote Credential. He joins only six other UK medics who have also received this gold stamp of approval, most of whom are based in Scotland, and is currently the only doctor in England to boast this status.
Read more

Change in Chair at Eden Housing Association
After completing her full term of office, Beth Furneaux has retired from her position as Chair on the Board of Eden Housing Association. 
Stepping up from Chair of Audit & Risk to Chair of the Board is Douglas Ross, who has served on the Board for 4 years.
Beth Furneaux commented:
“I am delighted that Douglas Ross has taken over the role of Chair, and I’m sure he will lead the Association forward.  My time with EHA has been a real privilege, and I’m proud to have been associated with such a great team of staff who work so hard to provide a good service to all the tenants.   The tenants come first at EHA and I feel sure the Board and Executive Team will make sure this continues to be the case.” 
Read more

Thoughts on Housebuilding and Land Use
A recent publication produced by the Planet and People Coalition discusses how we need a new vision for a new Britain and how we can build a better future.
Read more

Seminar content and opportunities to present

We have one seminar left in the 2024 programme and booking details for this can be found below:

Keep your eyes peeled for the 2025 programme which will be released and opening for bookings soon!

If there is a particular topic you would like us to cover as part of our seminar programme, please let us know by emailing [email protected] and we’ll try and secure an expert to talk on the matter.  Similarly, please get in touch if you have some best practice you’d like to share and potentially present at one of our seminars.

All events are free of charge for our members only.

Keep your stories coming
We’re always keen to promote our member organisations, so if you have an article you would like to feature in either a future Spotlight, or our weekly Rural Services Network e-bulletin, please email to [email protected]