Welcome to the Winter 2025 Rural Services Partnership Spotlight

The weather might have been miserable, but our quarterly Spotlight is as vibrant as ever, featuring articles from across the country from our varied and interesting membership.  Our Spotlights provide a fantastic outlet for exchanging ideas and best practices that tackle the distinctive challenges and opportunities facing rural communities across the country.

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

Our membership continues to grow, with the following organisations joining us at the end of last year. Click on the images below to find out more about each organisation. 

Revival North Yorkshire CIC

Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust

Streetwave

Go Bus Cornwall - part of Go Ahead

2025 Seminar Programme

If you haven’t booked already, please be sure to check out our 2025 seminar programme.  Our seminars form part of your membership benefits and are free to attend.  Come along to hear from leading expert speakers and share your views.

Click here or below to book

FEATURED ARTICLES

Connecting Rural Communities in Cornwall
Go Cornwall Bus plays a vital role in providing rural bus services across Cornwall, under the partnership of Transport for Cornwall. Working in partnership with Cornwall Council to ensure that rural communities remain connected. These services are crucial for people...
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Rurality Services at Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust offers a number of health services including physical and mental health to people who live in a large and diverse geographical area. Whilst the central services of the organisation are based in...
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Supporting Vibrant Village Halls and the Rural Flood Resilience Partnership
In this spotlight item we want to feature two topical items that ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is working on at the moment: supporting vibrant village halls and the Rural Flood Resilience Partnership. Firstly a reminder that...
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Pubs can be the solution to rural challenges
Publicans and their pubs can be the solution to many of the problems faced in rural areas, Pub is The Hub chief executive John Longden OBE has said. The statement comes in response to the State of the Art...
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Big News for Halifax Businesses: Introducing the SMEB Cube!
Have you noticed the trend of banks and building societies shifting towards online services, leaving fewer branches on our high streets? This change can make cash deposits a real hassle for local businesses. But don't worry, SMEB is here to...
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Increasing play opportunities in rural communities
£2,200 distributed to buy toys and equipment for local children  This winter, independent charity Devon Communities Together was delighted to use our reach into rural communities to help us distribute a £2,200 Local Giving Fund to twelve community...
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Rural homes need help to decarbonise and Labour is best placed to deliver
Malcolm Farrow, head of public affairs at OFTEC It’s fair to say the new government’s honeymoon period didn’t last very long. Labour has faced challenges on multiple fronts and it would be easy to criticise the slow progress...
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StoryPoint - A Beacon of Innovation and Enterprise Where Creativity Meets Technology
In 2022 Rural Media Charity (RMC) https://www.ruralmedia.co.uk/  was successful in its bid to the Government’s Stronger Towns Fund https://strongerhereford.co.uk to establish a major new resource for Herefordshire and the rural West Midlands to be called StoryPoint...
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Cornwall firm’s insights showcased
Adapting, innovating A leading developer of UK deep geothermal power and lithium projects in Cornwall has teamed up with the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) to showcase how it is adapting to challenges in the rural...
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BROADCAST 2040+ - February Newsletter
This newsletter can be downloaded by clicking here...
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Shaping the rural health service
Health and Wellbeing Boards across England are currently preparing a document that shapes the delivery of NHS pharmaceutical services such as dispensing medicines. The new documents will be published in every HWB area by 1 October 2025.  These documents,...
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Podcast: Listen to Our Chief Exec Talk About The Challenges & Opportunities For Affordable Rural Housing
Listen to our Chief Exec, Martin Collett, talk about the challenges and opportunities for affordable rural housing in this  Future Economic Rural Network  podcast: Dont have time to listen? Here’s a summary of...
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ACTion - the rural and community charity for Cumbria
ACTion with communities in Cumbria is the rural and community charity for Cumbria. Our vision is to work towards no-one being disadvantaged by where they live, and we do this by: championing rural and community issues, and supporting communities to:...
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Energy Advice in Rural Northumberland: A Year of Success
Over the past year, the team of Energy Advisers at Community Action Northumberland (CAN) have been working hard to reach households across rural Northumberland, to help residents stay warmer and reduce their energy expenses. The ‘Energy Advice in Rural...
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Making GP visits easier for rural communities
If you live in a rural area, you might have faced some challenges when trying to see your GP—long wait times, confusing booking systems, or even not being sure what help is available. That’s why Healthwatch North Yorkshire , who...
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Knowing your rights and accessing support as a patient
Many patients are unaware of their rights and the additional support available to them as they navigate their healthcare journey. It is particularly important that patients who experience unequal access to services and systemic discrimination are aware of the financial...
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The Quiet Strength of Rural Churches
Serving Communities with Faith and Open Arms Rural churches are often seen as small, historic buildings dotting the countryside, but their real impact lies far beyond their steeples. These churches are vibrant hubs of community activity, working tirelessly to meet...
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Latest news from Hartpury Digital Innovation Farm
New to Hartpury’s Home Farm Hartpury’s Home Farm has just installed two cutting-edge DeLeval robotic milking systems, and the Digital Innovation Farm team couldn’t be more excited! This innovative technology lets cows decide when they want to be...
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YMCA Lincolnshire Hosts Celebration Events for GRASSroots Funding Recipients
YMCA Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire Community Foundation invited attendees across the districts of East Lindsey, Boston Borough and South Holland to the “GRASSroots Celebration” event. The events brought together over 130 successful recipients of the GRASSroots Funding to celebrate and share...
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Delivering Added Value to Our Rural Communities
Our region has some of the most economically challenged communities in the UK, including the more remote parts of rural Cumbria, Northumberland and North Yorkshire. As a business, we believe it’s our duty to support communities and individuals facing difficulties...
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RABI’s Recent Impact Report Highlights the Mental Health Benefits of Its Grant for Farming Families
In 2022, RABI introduced its Return to School (RTS) grant as a response to the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the farming community. The grant aimed to alleviate some of the financial anxieties around back-to-school costs, such as uniforms,...
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Get Ready For Retrofit
Support with your domestic retrofit project planning and preparation Retrofit Information, Support and Expertise – or RISE - is a free support service funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, providing training, guidance, and support to...
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United Utilities partner with Sign Solutions to make communication easier for customers who use British Sign Language (BSL)
United Utilities have introduced a better way to engage with people using British Sign Language, as part of our Priority Services scheme We’ve partnered with Sign Solutions to make communication easier for customers who use British Sign Language (BSL) as...
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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]