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What will rural Britain look like in 2020?

Simon Berry, Chief Executive of ruralnet|uk wants to know and is taking an innovative approach to find out. He is asking people to contribute their thoughts and ideas online at a new website launched today: www.2020vision.ruralnet.org.uk.

Simon commented:

“We want to do this collectively because many heads are better than one or two - and there is a great deal of significance to something that has been created by hundreds of people. Visions can inspire and motivate - and they can inform policy and influence strategy. This is an opportunity for people to contribute to a collective vision for rural Britain - something quite unique and special.”

Simon is encouraging people to consider things that we’d like to see change; things we’d want to preserve and things we don’t have now that we’d like to have in the future.

Simon kicked off this process by collecting over 200 personal visions from delegates at the joint ruralnet|uk and Action for Market Towns conference in Skipton this month. He wants many more and is keen to get people thinking and writing. Visit www.2020vision.ruralnet.org.uk to make a contribution, to take a look at this experiment in more detail or read through the visions to date.

Andy Tordoff, Yorkshire Forward

Notes to Editors
1. ruralnet|uk is a rural development charity (no 1089238). For more information go to www.ruralnetuk.org
2. Future Choices - Live & Local - the joint event with ruralnet|uk and Action for Market Towns took place in Skipton on 1/2 October 2008. For further information and to view video footage, plenary session and workshop presentations made, please see www.futurechoices.ruralnet.org.uk

Everyone has a view on the future of the rural post office network - but will everyone’s views be heard? Perhaps you have a good idea on the future of the network; perhaps your own experience shows a vital aspect has been over-looked. Now there is a simple way to get your point across quickly and easily. The recent popularity in ‘blogging’ - contributing to a weblog or online message board - has inspired ruralnet|uk to set up a blog for this issue: a simple technique allowing thousands to add their personal comments to the debate. Over half of all UK homes have access to an online computer - as well as libraries, youth clubs, schools, day centres, UK online centres, and even some Post Offices! Anyone with an interest can visit the blog and leave their comment on the consultation questions, and read what others are saying. More detail »

2002 - ongoing
ruralnet|uk is a permanent member of the ‘Rural Skills Development Group’ which advises Advantage West Midlands.
Link: www.advantagewm.co.uk

2002 - 03
Member of the steering group for the Social Enterprise project run by the Community Action Network and funded through the Phoenix Fund.