Hosted Post Offices in Churches and Chapels
The guidelines for hosting an outreach post office if the opportunity was presented are available from www.churchcare.co.uk
Further support is available from the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) which has developed Rural Service Support, an on-line service that provides information and advice to rural communities considering alternative models of delivering post office services. Access to the service is through their website www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk
There is £2million of start-up funding for new community-owned shops available over the next two years under the The Village CORE Programme. Church buildings can provide suitable sites for shops as well as being eligible to apply for start up funding. Applications can be submitted up to 30 July 2009. www.virsa.org/villagecoreprogrammes
Rural mobile phone black spots
MPs will introduce a Bill on 4th May aimed at forcing British telephone companies to adopt the European system of roaming, which allows your phone to switch to an alternative network if your own network provider is not available. www.telegraph.co.uk [accessed 29/4]
Communities
becoming geographically
deprived
Nearly half of
our neighbourhoods have been stripped of key local amenities in the past four
years, according to a Government-commissioned report. Towns and villages across
the country are losing basic services such as post offices, surgeries, shops and
schools at a record rate, figures show. A report from
Coastal Erosion
Following three public meetings in
response to publicity concerning coastal erosion in coastal
Rural
schools have also come under attack
as new
Suffolk
information A new
document brings together a wide range of information on the health and wellbeing
status of the population of
Under
a proposed scheme, dozens of market towns would have communities built next to
them large enough to sustain their own shops, pubs and even schools. The
proposals are an attempt to boost affordable homes in rural areas and find sites
for the target of three million extra homes by 2020. In smaller villages the proposal is to
change planning rules to allow new homes to be reserved for people on limited
incomes who live or work in the community. The key proposal is to give powers to
Eco Towns Consultation responses are invited until 30th June 2008 on the 15 locations going forward for further assessment. In the Eastern Region they are at Coltishall, Hanley Grange and North Elsenham http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/ecotownsgreenerfuture
A strategy to tackle homelessness in
Year of Food and Farming Education newsletters are packed full of inspiring ideas and activities that are linked to the curriculum and programmes of study to make teaching and learning around the themes of Food and Farming more accessible and lots of fun! The newsletters are produced with schools in mind but are full of suggestions for young people . Register now at www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk/E-Newsletter/ to receive monthly newsletters.
Open Farm Sunday 1st June 2008 - an opportunity for everyone, young and old to enjoy the living, vibrant countryside. Each event will be unique with its own activities - based around the host farm’s own individual story. www.farmsunday.org/farmsunday08/
Bluetongue
vaccine
The
first batch of Bluetongue vaccine, ordered from Intervet last year, is being
released to wholesalers and is ready for distribution to the Protection Zones in
www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/bluetongue/control/vaccination/index.htm
The British Beekeeper’s Association are calling for more Government cash to research and to deal with the virus spread by the parasitic varroa mite, which is believed to have killed almost all our wild honey bees and one fifth of colonies kept by beekeepers. It is estimated honey bees contribute around £165m to the agricultural economy each year by pollinating plants which produce crops and seeds. For more information on the petition, visit www.britishbee.org.uk .
Common Agricultural Policy – its future is the subject of a report from Wildlife and Countryside Link: http://wcl.org.uk/downloads/2008/Link_Beyond_the_Pillars_11Mar08.pdf
Food
prices
have risen sharply around the world in recent
months, causing serious social unrest and balance of payments problems for some
countries and major funding gaps for humanitarian programmes. Most importantly,
poor and vulnerable families across the world are struggling to buy enough food
to meet the most basic needs.
The
Biofuels
Defra’s chief scientific adviser asked the government to postpone the
introduction of the RTFO
[1], due in April (Farmers
Weekly 28/3).
A new project in Thetford is
teaching Portuguese and Polish to English children between 6 and 13 and
representatives of the Portuguese community in
A recent Oxfam/CAB workshop
(20/4/08) found the following problems for migrant
workers:
Ecumenical group We are hoping to establish a group to focus on helping migrant families in rural areas, dormitory villages and isolated settlements. If you are interested in taking part in or nominating someone to take part in the group please contact me. ruraladviser@btinternet.com
A guide on bat management has been published by Natural England. ‘Bats in Churches: A management guide. 75% of respondents to the Bat Conservation Trust survey welcomed bats in their church, 12% expressed concern. In summer, while female bats collect in colonies to bear and suckle their babies, male bats fly into a church and later the whole bat family arrives. They can squeeze through a 2cm gap. For advice: National Helpline: 0845 1300 227 www.bats.org.uk (Church Times 25/4 p.2)
[© 2008 Dr. Lorna Allies | District & Diocesan Rural Adviser