Building Confident Rural Communities

This project seeks to tackle the urban bias in mainstream media when covering topics of farming and rural issues by delivering training, workshops and Q&A sessions on filming, vlogging and social media.

Hannah Edwards, a trainee, said “Since joining the project I have learnt so many skills. I have appeared on Countryfile and have spoken to the BBC about ‘dairy farming and the impact on the environment’. Talking to journalists has improved my communication skills, and my confidence has grown too. Learning how to produce videos on my phone has been my favourite part, I have great fun making videos and posting them on social media!”

This project was awarded funding to advertise the annual festival in Northumberland, with money going towards printing, social media campaigns, invitations and volunteer equipment.

Claire, one of the festival organisers said, “With the aid of this support, we aimed to increase festival attendance by 10%. We have in fact increased attendance by 33%. The impact that this work has had is visible through statistics and leaves a lasting sustainable plan for future years. Building audiences can take a long time, especially when only hosting an event once a year, this work ensures we are able to nurture and grow relationships as well as understand how we communicate best with our audiences.”

Settle Community Hub provides business and community support by running workshops on subjects like basic accounting and the Settle Time Bank which gets people involved in volunteering.

Patricia Porter said, “I’m a small start-up finding my way around the big world of business. I contacted Jo at Settle Community & Business hub to seek some guidance on possible grants and funding opportunities. I got a speedy response from her and was offered advice on possible avenues to look for funding, training and support. She introduced me to a local business mentor connected with the hub and a successful business woman in London, who offered me some excellent tips. I cannot stress enough how grateful I am for the help I have received. Without the nudge and guidance from Settle Community & Business hub I feel I would still be stuck and wondering, what if this could work?”

The Northern Fells Group, based in Cumbria, provides support and activities for residents within its rural communities. Activities range from walking to arts and craft groups  and social groups, many of which are now meeting face-to-face for the first time in 18 months. For residents who still feel anxious about leaving their homes, Zoom activities are continuing including exercise classes and coffee meet and greet sessions.

The Men in Sheds project is open 3 days a week, providing a safe place for older men to meet to undertake a range of activities such as bike maintenance and furniture repairs offering a valued service to the whole community.

Northern Fells has 262 active volunteers, some who are continuing to staff their local vaccination centre. Others support residents who need shopping, handyman help or help with their personnel care. The community minibus is used every day driven by a rota of volunteers taking people who have no access to transport, to hospital and medical appointments and the vaccine centre.