Welcome to the Summer 2024 Rural Services Partnership Spotlight

We are thrilled to present the Summer 2024 edition of the RSN Rural Services Partnership Spotlight. This quarterly publication offers a vibrant platform for exchanging insights and best practices that tackle the distinctive challenges and opportunities facing rural communities throughout the UK.

In this issue, we delve into a variety of compelling topics. The University of Central Lancashire introduces new CPD courses designed for remote and rural practitioners, emphasising the development of skills to manage acute patient care in isolated settings. The Community Council for Somerset (CCS) shares their efforts in tackling homelessness, fuel poverty, and social isolation through innovative pilot schemes and support services. Additionally, the Farming Community Network (FCN), in collaboration with Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, launches a new scholarship aimed at enhancing the health and wellbeing of the farming community.

Further, a study by NICRE explores how offering workspaces could help rural pubs diversify and thrive in a post-pandemic world. We also celebrate a decade of the Warm Hubs Initiative in Northumberland, which provides safe, warm spaces and is now expanding to include emergency resilience centres. These are just a few of the many highlights in this edition of Spotlight.

Each piece not only sheds light on the current state of rural services but also provides practical advice and showcases successful initiatives from across the country. This edition is crafted to inform, inspire, and encourage collaboration among all stakeholders dedicated to improving the quality of life in rural areas.

We hope the insights in this Summer 2024 Rural Services Partnership Spotlight are both enlightening and motivating as we continue to work collectively to make a difference in rural communities.

Conference Announcement

We are also excited to highlight the upcoming National Rural Conference 2024 which takes place in September. This event is free for RSP members and offers a unique opportunity to engage with experts, share knowledge, and explore innovative solutions for rural development.

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 admin@sparse.gov.uk

FEATURED ARTICLES

NALC makes historic appearance at Corby Pride
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC), the national body that represents 10,000 parish and town councils in England, made a historic appearance at Corby Pride on 22 June 2024, marking its first-ever involvement at a Pride event. This milestone event underscores NALC's unwavering commitment to diversity, inclusion, and support for the LGBT+ community, setting a precedent for local government participation in such events.
Read more

BROADCAST 2040+ - July Newsletter
Throughout the election period, the campaign was working hard to push our message onto the election agenda. Now with a new Labour government, we look forward to working alongside them, continuing to push for the longterm future of broadcast TV. Keep your eyes peeled, as we ramp up our activity, to ensure our message remains prevalent with the new government and Parliament.
Read more

Priority Services – extra help when you need it most
We can all benefit from a bit of extra support at some stage in our lives. This could be due to age, ill health, disability, mental health problems, financial worries or language barriers.
Our FREE Priority Services scheme provides extra services for free to support people in times of need.
Our scheme is designed to support people who:
Read more

The UK’s only face-to-face conference for community business comes to London this October, organised by the charity, Plunkett UK
The National Community Business Conference 2024 takes place on Thursday 23 October 2024 from 9.30am – 4pm at Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre, a community-owned venue on London’s South Bank.
The day promises to deliver the very best insights and practical advice for community businesses, no matter their stage of trading. It includes key industry figures on expert panels, and inspirational community business voices in every session.
Read more

Youth Employment UK Creates New Interactive Opportunity Finder For Young Job Seekers
At the beginning of 2024, Youth Employment UK unveiled a new interactive Opportunity Finder designed to help young people and jobs, training and events in the UK.
The 2023 Youth Voice Census report saw an decrease in young people finding jobs locally, with 42.5% of respondents stating they weren’t confident they could and quality opportunities in their local area.
That’s why we upgraded our Opportunity Finder - to connect young people with jobs from youth friendly employers who put them at the heart of everything they do.
This new tool allows you to search for opportunities by type of job/training, industry and location, with a new map view feature that makes it easier to see jobs near them.
Read more

New Courses Announced the University of Central Lancashire National Centre for Remote and Rural Medicine
Announcing two new CPD courses designed with the Remote and Rural practitioner in mind – STAT Rural and STAT Remote & Austere that will commence delivery early in 2025.
Each STAT (Stabilisation and Treatment Awaiting Transfer) course focuses on the different timescales relevant to practice in Rural, Remote and Austere settings.
STAT Rural will help you to develop your knowledge and practical skills to deliver extended management for acutely unwell patients in primary care settings whilst awaiting ambulance transfer.
Read more

How could offering workspaces help rural pubs survive and thrive?
A study funded by the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) has researched the potential for pubs to diversify into providing workspace to broaden their income.
Led by the University of Lincoln in partnership with the Plunkett Foundation, the project gathered the views of pub managers, trade bodies and homeworkers to explore whether offering ‘work from the pub’ to remote and homeworkers could not only help meet the needs of post-pandemic ways of working, but support pubs to survive and thrive.
Read more

Pub is The Hub helps pubs get behind Thank You Day 2024
Pub is The Hub partnered with the organisers of Thank You Day 2024, which took place on Sunday 7 July, to help encourage pubs across the UK to help recognise and give thanks for the significant contribution volunteers make to local communities.
Thank You Day, now in its fourth year, saw pubs getting involved by hosting Thank You Day events and taking part in a national ‘Cheers For Volunteers’ organised by the Royal Voluntary Service. Pub is The Hub worked with the Together Coalition, the organisers of the initiative, in conjunction with the BBPA, to produce a guide full of tips and inspiration to help support publicans getting involved.
Read more

Time for celebration as TV expert opens White Horse’s sustainable housing development
TV presenter and environmental campaign Charlie Luxton told of how impressed he was with White Horse Housing Association’s £2.8 million passive homes as he officially opened the ten-home development in Seend Cleeve.
White Horse Housing Association (WHHA) staff, contractors and members of Seend Community Land Trust (SCLT) joined residents and villagers as the homes, which are believed to be the most energy-efficient social housing in the UK, were handed over at a day of celebration.
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A Design Guide: Building Tomorrow's Rural Communities
English Rural Housing Association, in collaboration with a panel of rural experts and advocates, has launched a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming the perception of affordable rural housing. The publication, titled 'A Design Guide: Building Tomorrow's Rural Communities', was officially released on Friday, 5th July 2024. The guide features a compelling Foreword by HRH The Princess Royal, underlining the significance of this pioneering work in addressing the rural housing crisis and promoting sustainable, beautiful, and affordable homes in the countryside.
Read more

The Community Council for Somerset (CCS) is a charity working in all corners of the County, supporting Somerset's communities to thrive
We offer a range of different support services that help the most vulnerable in our predominantly rural communities, but also look to tackle the root causes of social deprivation or isolation through key areas such as food and fuel poverty, transport and health and wellbeing.  
In 2021 we started a pilot scheme in South Somerset to get a better understanding of working with people facing homelessness. We employed a specialist Homelessness Agent who worked with 70 individuals and families in the area to get a better understanding of the complexities of working with people facing homelessness.
Read more

FCN Launches Scholarship Opportunity with Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust
National charity The Farming Community Network (FCN) has teamed up with Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust (NFST) to launch a new scholarship – which will support the health and wellbeing of people in the farming community.
The FCN / Len’s Light Nuffield Farming Scholarship will sponsor Nuffield Scholars focusing on topics that support people in farming and rural communities; help to address issues of loneliness and isolation; explore health inequalities in farming / rural communities; or encourage a positive mindset and help to build resilience.
Read more

Warm Hubs celebrates 10 years of tackling social isolation and fuel poverty?
Over 100 volunteers gathered in Seahouses, Northumberland in June to celebrate 10 years of Warm Hubs and their subsequent spread across the country.
Initiated in 2014 by Community Action Northumberland (CAN), Warm Hubs provide safe, warm, and friendly community spaces where residents can enjoy refreshments, social activities, advice, and company. Each Warm Hub undergoes an assessment to meet service standards, receiving training, funding, advice, and networking opportunities. In 2023, 55 Warm Hubs in Northumberland received 435,000 visits across all activities.
Read more

Showcase what you do in photos
In celebration of CJS 30th anniversary we are running a photo competition and we want your photos of you at work. There are prizes up for grabs and obviously the kudos of your photos being published with CJS. The categories are below:
Read more

Young person in LPG awards open for nominations
An industry awards programme, which recognises talented young individuals in the LPG sector, has opened for nominations this June.
Organised by trade association Liquid Gas UK, and proudly sponsored by Vaillant, the annual initiative returns for its fourth year for those aged 35 and under who are making a significant impact in the LPG and renewable liquid gases industry.
Read more

Beyond the breaking point: patient survey highlights NHS challenges
The Patients Association’s recent survey has revealed significant challenges in accessing care, reinforcing our calls to fix the crisis in healthcare and improve patients’ access to services they need to live well.

• Three out of ten (30%) people struggled to access GP appointments in the past six months
  “I have not seen a GP face to face in nearly 2 years. So, I have given up and just suffer in silence.”
• Only 13% said there were no NHS services they had struggled to access
  “Everything has been postponed, I have been waiting for surgery for over three years.”
  Read more

YMCA Lincolnshire - Addressing Homelessness, Empowering Youth and Building Stronger Communities
YMCA Lincolnshire, a community, non-profit organisation, has been making significant contributions to the welfare and development of individuals and families across the county. For over 155 years, across all services, YMCA Lincolnshire’s aim has remained clear; everyone in Lincolnshire, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, should have the best possible chance to meet their full potential. The services covered by YMCA Lincolnshire address critical social issues such as homelessness, youth engagement, early years education and community development.
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Kings Speech suggests it is an excellent time for rural communities to start planning ahead
Many who watched the Kings Speech on Wednesday may be wondering whether the planned expansion in house building and focus on economic growth will impact their area.
As rural communities know well new homes, facilities and infrastructure in the right place can be a valuable asset to towns and villages. What the right place looks like will be very different from place to place – which is why taking charge and creating a plan for your community, based on the community’s own needs and priorities, can be such a rewarding approach. ONH Planning for Good specialises in working with communities to support them through the where, how and why of future planning.
Read more

Citizens Advice Torridge, North, Mid and West Devon's Annual Impact Reports details success
As part of our strategy to continue to maintain and build our profile within our local community we have launched a quarterly newsletter available to all of our stakeholders and partners and anyone else who has an interest in keeping in contact with us on a relatively informal basis.
If you would be interested in this, please email admin@citizensadvicetnmwd.org.uk and we will send you a copy. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, you can opt in by clicking the link on the last page.
Read more

Time to #Saveoursugeries
Dispensing Doctors’ Association Board member Dr Fiona Porter met recently to challenge shadow health minister for Wales Sam Rowlands on the pressures facing rural GP practices in Wales, including dispensing practices.
In April the BMA highlighted the loss of almost 100 GP surgeries in Wales since 2013, and a 24 per cent fall in the number of full-time equivalent GPs that has pushed a third more patient consultations onto remaining GPs.
Read more

“It’s all Training and Healthcare lately…”
Agricultural Chaplaincy is a role that has, over the years, evolved from other forms of chaplaincy.  Just as a reminder, chaplains of any genre, walk alongside people who are in trouble or have issues and are in need of pastoral care and support.
The Agricultural Chaplains Association, a Christian based organisation, has been in existence for over twenty-five years.  It seems strange therefore, to be instigating training after a quarter of a century!  However, the vast majority of chaplains when we first started out were ordained and it was assumed that their ordination training would cover the topics needed.  Nowadays however, we have a greater number of lay people, which is a real bonus and does nothing but enrich the work that we do.  Therefore we need to train them for their role using a Foundation Course.  The Course will be run for all new Chaplains, regardless of whether they are ordained or not, or have previously undertaken any other form of chaplaincy training.
Read more

The Impact of Local Area Coordination
The recent multi-site evaluation of Local Area Coordination (LAC) in England and Wales, funded by the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research and conducted in collaboration with leading universities, presents significant findings that underscore the transformative power of this approach. This research, published last week, is a landmark study, providing a comprehensive understanding of how LAC can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives and communities.
The study, undertaken by the Universities of Hull, Sheffield, York, Exeter, and Leeds, is the first of its kind to evaluate the LAC approach across multiple sites. It highlights the substantial benefits of LAC at individual, community, and systemic levels, showcasing its potential to revolutionise the way we think about and deliver preventive care.
Read more

How soon will it be before seeing food rationing in the UK?
It may not be so long, and many don't even think about it.
With the wet Winter, much of the Winter corn crops are rotting in the ground.
If farmers plough the crops in, to replant with Spring corn, which yields less than Winter crops, if it then becomes a dry period, we wi1l be short of grain.
Early Potatoes are already not available. as they have rotted in the ground from the wet weather.
Landlords don't reduce the rents on farm land if the tenant gets a 50% crop.
Read more

Seminar content and opportunities to present

If there is a particular topic you would like us to cover as part of our seminar programme, please let us know by emailing events@sparse.gov.uk 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 admin@sparse.gov.uk