Welcome to the Spring 2023 Rural Services Partnership Spotlight

In this edition we feature news, research and best practice from three regional Citizens Advice offices plus news on rural education, broadcasting, rural health, off gas grid living, rural homelessness and housing, rural business, rural pubs, farming and much more. Happy reading! 

New Members
The RSP continues to increase its membership with well over 200 members! We are delighted to welcome the following four organisations that have signed up since our winter edition of Spotlight.  The great news is that we have more new members in the pipeline too. Click on each organisation logo to find out more.

Free online seminars and events
Our 2023 seminar programme is in full swing.  If you haven’t booked already check out the full 2023 seminar programme here.  There is bound to be something that catches your eye whether it be a seminar on rural digital connectivity, rural transport, affordable housing and more.  Two of our new member organisations - Ability and the CTA, will be presenting at our Transport Seminar on Wednesday 17 May, please be sure to book to listen to them.

Remember all events are free of charge to 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

FEATURED ARTICLES

Demand keeps on growing
Year on year the demand for our services at Citizens Advice Torridge, North, Mid & West Devon (CA TNMWD) increases but the cost-of-living crisis has escalated that exponentially. Not only are people reaching out to us for our help who never thought they would experience financial hardship, but the problems that they bring to us are getting ever more complex.
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Government has yet to recognise role of renewable liquid gases in ‘Powering Up Britain’
The Government’s Powering Up Britain Strategy, announced today (30 March 2023), has missed the opportunity to recognise the role of renewable liquid gases in the future off-grid energy mix.
Although the strategy adopts positive policies, including more funding for insulating energy inefficient homes, advancing carbon capture technology and the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, it does not yet acknowledge alternative low-carbon heating options to electrification in rural areas.
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Shocking report reveal a growing, invisible homelessness crisis on our countryside
A shocking new report has uncovered a devastating, yet hidden, wave of homelessness sweeping through our rural areas. This alarming surge in countryside rough sleeping, intensified by the cost-of-living crisis, is tearing at the fabric of our rural communities.
BREAKING: Rural Rough Sleeping Skyrockets by 24% in One Year
Housing costs in affluent rural areas are driving an unseen crisis, where the “shame and stigma” of homelessness keep countless vulnerable individuals out of official statistics. This eye-opening study brings to light the true scale of the problem, which is far worse than anyone could have imagined.
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Rural health workforce shortages
The distribution of healthcare professionals into rural areas is an issue in many parts of the country, for example in Lincoln, so it was fitting that the city’s university jointly hosted, with Health Education England (now NHS England). a lecture by Professor Roger Strasser in November 2022 on his widely appraised rural workforce research.
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What is the potential for electric cargo (e-cargo) bikes to be used for last mile delivery in rural areas?
The National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) explores this 'green logistics' opportunity in its latest module in its innovation portal.
With an introductory blog post from NICRE Innovation Associate Steven Morrison Cairns, from Food and Drink North East, the module showcases cases studies from businesses operating in rural settings and a review of research evidence considering the role of e-cargo bikes to reduce carbon emissions.
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In the drive towards low carbon heating rural communities are firmly in the spotlight
It’s been a rollercoaster few years with unexpected twists and turns, from the pandemic, war in Ukraine to the cost of living crisis. Whilst we might be hoping for a brief respite, there’s another challenge which remains firmly on the table.
A renewed focus on tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions is expected as we await the publication of the government’s response to its decarbonisation proposals for homes and businesses off the gas grid. What does this mean for rural communities? Here’s what you need to know.
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North East based business develops innovative solution to get ahead of mental health concerns in the workplace
The importance of maintaining good mental health in the workplace has been well publicised with employers increasingly investing time and money into supporting their workforce and making efforts to reduce the stigma attached to asking for help. Looking to completely change the current detection and support model, Opine Group (T/A Dittolo), based in Newcastle, are developing a new, innovative solution to support businesses and their employees to track, manage and mitigate the impact of mental health.
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Local Housing Allowance rates freeze
For those people who are renting privately and in receipt of either Housing Benefit or the Housing Element of Universal Credit, the amount that they can receive is determined by Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates. These figures are set by the Valuation Office Agency and are based on a number of factors. In the East Riding, if you are a single person under 35 with no children, the maximum amount you will be awarded towards your rent is £70.00 per week. It does not matter how much more your rent is per week; this is the maximum award allowed and you would need to find the money to pay your remaining rent yourself.
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Legal Services for local communities
It’s been ten years since The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 came into effect on 1 April 2013 and it had a huge impact on legal aid services, meaning people were cut off from accessing justice in many cases, effectively overnight. This caused legal aid and advice deserts, where advice and support was simply not available to those unable to afford to pay privately.
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Campaign to protect Freeview and radio beyond 2040
As you may have seen in previous editions of the RSN Spotlight, the Rural Services Network (RSN) is a founding coalition member of the Broadcast 2040+ campaign. The campaign was established to ensure the Government’s media policy protects vital broadcast TV and radio services for decades to come. As it stands, these services are only guaranteed until the early 2030s.
Read more

‘New Life brought to an Old Industrial Site’ Peak District National Park Affordable Housing Scheme Wins National Award
A newly-completed housing scheme, providing affordable rental homes in the heart of the Peak District National Park, has won national recognition for its contribution to local housing needs and land regeneration in a National Park community.
Bradwell Springs, in Bradwell (Derbyshire), beat off competition from housing developments in London, Hastings and Bridport.
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Gwynedd pub diversifies with community garden to support local residents
The Tafarn y Plu, which is also known at the Feathers Inn, in Llanystumdwy, Gwynedd in North Wales, has diversified its pub’s offer by extending its community garden and allotment to help local residents get together and to help combat loneliness and isolation.
Expert help and a Community Services Fund grant from Pub is The Hub was provided to help with the purchase of raised beds, the creation of a sensory garden and improved pathways to make the garden more accessible. Volunteers from the village gave over 70 hours of their time to help develop the community garden and get it ready for spring.
Read more

Decarbonising Farming
Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) is working with partners, The Farmer Network and the Fellfoot Forward Landscape Partnership Scheme (led by the North Pennines AONB), to ensure we have sustainable, long-term solutions that support the farming sector and its determination to decarbonise.
To gather anecdotal evidence and research data CAfS will be partner in a study led by Dr Peter Gittins, an upland farmer from the University of Leeds.
Read more

The digital business world
One of the key learnings we here at the Forum have taken from the Pandemic is that it was a tipping point for many businesses in terms of their interaction with the digital world and government also seems to have increased their use and reliance on it.
This means that many businesses who didn’t have a website, and there were lots, now have one, those that did took the time to improve the existing one.
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Heating, health and village halls help
Heat Your Home for Less - Our county-wide oil buying scheme continues to deliver competitive oil prices for its members The aim of the scheme is to make the most of collective buying power by reducing the price of heating oil and then passing those savings on to the members. The scheme is open to individuals, businesses and community organisations who use oil to heat their homes and premises. We work in partnership with Olive (trading as eSmartMetrics Ltd) to take the hassle out of ordering your heating oil. If you haven't yet taken the plunge, you can find out more and register free for the scheme by emailing us at bulkoil@lincsymca.co.uk or by calling 01529 301 980. The price secured for members of our scheme for our April 2023 order was 68.33p per litre. All our prices exclude VAT, which currently sits at 5% for domestic heating oil. Register for the scheme before our next order deadline of Midnight on Tuesday 9th May 2023.
Read more

At the leading edge with Duchy College
Did you know that Duchy College hosts a team of specialists working on challenges and opportunity facing our sectors?
The Rural Business School (RBS) is a specialist unit, spanning Duchy and Bicton Colleges, that undertakes research, consultancy and knowledge exchange activities. It has a pedigree of projects working with industry, academia, communities and government.  Projects focusing on making our industry more efficient and productive, resilient and sustainable, and better able to protect and enhance the environment and those that farm it.
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New MBA Agri Business Course
Writtle University College is a small, supportive institution that creates big futures. We’ve been helping students become leaders in land-based industries for 130 years.
Our beautiful countryside campus offers career-focused learning, just two miles from the city of Chelmsford. Courses span animal management and science, sport, health and wellbeing, conservation, canine therapy, equine, floristry, and veterinary physiotherapy, as well as agriculture and horticulture.
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Changing Practice, Changing Outcomes - National Centre for Remote and Rural Medicine Conference - 7 - 8 June 2023, Lake District, UK
New speaker announced: Dr Pete Hodkinson, first UK specialty registrar and now Consultant in Aviation and Space Medicine and member of the European Space Agency Medical Board.
Dr Hodkinson will be presenting: “An overview of space medicine”, medical considerations to get in to space and what if things go wrong in space.
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Care home’s ‘extra’ resident is clue to Tony’s aquatic past
The life-size replica of Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid next to care home resident Tony Milton gives a strong hint to his earlier sporting endeavours in the Olympic swimming pool.
Tony, aged 85, lives at the 25-bed Forder Lane House Care Home in Dartington, owned and managed by South Devon Rural Housing Association (SDR).
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