RURAL REVIVAL GAINING SUPPORT

Plunkett's Rural Revival campaign, launched last November, is capturing the imagination of policy-makers, funders and potential beneficiaries. Contributions to the campaign have already been received from several private individuals and charitable trusts, and discussions are now underway with companies regarding potential cause-related marketing linkages. On average, two enquiries a week are being received from potential beneficiaries and the first formal applications are being made.

The campaign has also come to the attention of national rural policy-makers. Speaking during a break at last year's Urban Summit, Pam Warhurst, the Vice Chair of the Countryside Agency observed "I think Rural Revival is an idea whose time has come. As private businesses withdraw from rural areas, self-help and social enterprises are stepping into their place to provide essential services and employment opportunities. Rural Revival is helping these enterprises to get started and, in doing so, tackling the root causes of social isolation and economic deprivation in rural Britain. I think this is a really practical, worthwhile initiative, which deserves your support."

These reflections were endorsed by Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael after a presentation of the campaign to the Rural Affairs Forum for England.

The Rural Revival campaign provides specialist advisory support and seed-corn grants to fledgling rural self-help enterprises which combat rural deprivation and social exclusion. Beneficiaries may include community-owned village shops, rural community transport schemes, or farmer marketing groups. Funds are currently available to support up to five groups, and the first beneficiaries will be selected shortly. Potential recipients of support must demonstrate the social benefits their planned enterprise will bring, and the manner in which it will achieve financial sustainability.

Charlotte Smith, Rural Revival's new Fundraising Manager, was attracted to the post because of the practical and positive message which the campaign presents. "Rural Revival doesn't just hand out a begging bowl on behalf of rural communities, it shows how people can solve their own problems if they are provided with the right tools and techniques. I'm excited by the prospect of introducing more people to Plunkett's proven approaches to rural self-help." Charlotte is rapidly building a supporters' database for Rural Revival, including both donors and people who can contribute by offering their time or resources. If you would like to help, don't hesitate - get involved in the campaign by calling Charlotte.

PLUNKETT AND RURAL PARTNERSHIPS TO CONDUCT DEFRA RESEARCH PROJECTS

Plunkett Foundation and rural development subsidiary Rural Partnerships have both been awarded research contracts by Defra in open competition. The projects, to examine the effectiveness of different elements of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP), both commenced in December and are due to be completed by the summer.

The Plunkett Foundation is researching the reasons why relatively few project proposals have been submitted to ERDP from farmer collaborative groups, despite the high priority which is currently given to such initiatives. Following analysis of the findings, Plunkett consultants will recommend to Defra what steps could be taken to further stimulate farmer collaboration and the submission of applications.

The focus of the research being conducted by Rural Partnerships is the Rural Enterprise Scheme, one of the four ERDP project-based schemes. The research will examine the manner in which the scheme is promoted and facilitated, and advise Defra on appropriate improvements.

Both research projects will provide valuable information to Defra as it conducts a parallel mid-term review of the Programme.

For further details of these projects contact Quintin Fox at Plunkett or Oliver Mathieson at Rural Partnerships.

MILK GROUPS DIRECT!

The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) and Plunkett launched their joint Milk Groups' Director Development Programme in January, following the receipt of funding from Defra's Agricultural Development Scheme and the Farmers' Fund. The development programme comprises an integrated set of training modules for farmer-directors, combined with study tours to examine the role of farmer-directors of dairy co-operatives in other European countries.

The programme has been well-received, with all the major English Milk Groups having participated in one or more of the modules. As a result of their satisfaction with their experience, Dairy Farmers of Britain, the UK's largest farmer-controlled business, has decided to send all its council members on training provided within the framework of the project. The programme will also include the establishment of an ongoing Director Development Forum to enable directors of milk groups to maintain contact in the future, following their participation in formal training courses.

For further information contact Quintin Fox.

PLUNKETT FOUNDATION INFORMATION CENTRE

The Plunkett Foundation Information Centre is the UK's leading resource centre on rural self-help and social enterprise. For further information contact Information Services Manager Elodie Malhomme. Recent acquisitions include:

• SEL - Social Enterprise London. Keeping it legal - Legal forms for social enterprises. 56p. 2003. London, SEL.
  
• ILO - International Labour Office. Promotion of Co-operatives Report IV (2A). 82p. 2003. Geneva, ILO.
  
• LGA - Local Government Association. Achieving Rural Revival - report of the LGA inquiry into rural revival. 63p. 2003. LGA.
  
• Quirke, P. Lessons for the Irish Dairy Co-operative Industry 39 p. 2003. Market Harborough, Leicestershire, Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust.
  
• SAOS - Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society Ltd. Farmers Co-operating Worldwide. 28 p. 2003. Midlothian, SAOS. (Plunkett Foundation acted as consultant author)
  
• Defra. The way ahead for rural services - a guide to good practice in locating rural services. 21p. 2002. London.
  
• Countryside Agency. Rural Economies - Stepping stones to healthier futures. 2003. Cheltenham, Countryside Agency.

VITAL VILLAGES INFORMATION TOOLKIT

The Plunkett Foundation has been contracted by the Vital Villages Programme of the Countryside Agency to compile the contents of its forthcoming web-based 'Information Toolkit'. The facility will enable staff and advisers of the programme to better understand the policy context, and to provide examples of good practice as background information when assessing and advising on project applications. The Vital Villages Programme consists of a number of small grant funds which support rural residents to initiate and implement projects which breathe new life into rural communities.

The selection of Plunkett to implement the project represents the continuation of fruitful co-operation with the Vital Villages Programme. Plunkett has received funding from the unit for the development of its own Rural Social Enterprise Resource Guide, and its subsidiary Rural Partnerships recently completed a review of the Village Halls Loan Fund, which the unit manages.

For further details contact Quintin Fox or Elodie Malhomme.

ENGLISH FOOD AND FARMING PARTNERSHIPS

After a year in the making, the English Collaborative Board recommended in the Curry Report on the Future of Farming and Food is now taking shape, re-labelled as English Food and Farming Partnerships (EFFP for short). Jeremy Pope, Chairman of Milk Link has been appointed as Chairman, with Plunkett Foundation Patron Lord Carter as Vice Chairman.

Plunkett's Chairman David Button was a member of the Steering Committee which saw the initiative through to establishment. The founding board will now take on the direction of the EFFP and establish a membership-based structure for the organisation.

The Plunkett Foundation is planning to work closely with the new organisation to assist it in becoming an operational and effective support body for the sector in England. Proposals have been prepared for a joint project in which Plunkett and EFFP will select six fledgling farmer collaborative ventures as examples for the specification of training and development needs. EFFP is expected to become fully operational by the summer.

For further information contact Richard Moreton.

NO REST FOR SLOUGH LEISURE

Plunkett Foundation Chief Executive Richard Moreton was recently called in by Slough Community Leisure (SCL), a leisure facilities management social enterprise, to facilitate the preparation of its strategic plan for the next five years.

SCL was established three years ago as a result of the externalisation of leisure facilities management by Slough Borough Council, which followed the option pioneered by Greenwich Leisure in transferring its activities to an independent multi-stakeholder social enterprise.

The company has performed well since its establishment, increasing both profitability and revenue from the facilities under its management.

The new strategy will take the business to the next stage of its development. It aims to achieve a target of increasing income from leisure services by a further 60% from current levels by the end of the five-year period of the plan. The completed plan is to be submitted to the SCL board this Spring.

DISTINCTLY CUMBRIAN

Rural Partnerships has been commissioned by the Cumbria Rural Partnership to conduct a review of its proposals for the development of a web-based virtual market for 'Distinctly Cumbrian' products.

The market place is intended to form a key element in a wider programme, financed by the North-West Regional Development Agency, to promote both food and non-food products associated with Cumbria.

The link with Plunkett was a key factor in the choice of Rural Partnerships to carry out the assignment. Plunkett's experience of producer group marketing will be valuable in exploring the manner in which producers can interact with and use the virtual market place to increase sales of their produce.

Rural Partnerhips has assembled an international team to carry out the review, including German, French, Scottish and English consultants.

For further details contact Oliver Mathieson.

PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR SELF-HELP - ACHIEVING THE RIGHT BALANCE

How can governments support co-operatives and social enterprises without damaging the very essence of these self-help approaches? This is a question which has vexed policy-makers for decades in many countries of the world. With the establishment of two new publicly- sponsored sector support structures this year (English Food and Farming Partnerships and Social Enterprise Coalition UK), it is a question which should be at the forefront of the minds of social enterprise policy-makers.

One fact is clear - co-operatives and similar self-help enterprises are formed at a faster rate when public policy supports their development. Worker co-operatives sprang up 'like mushrooms after rain' during the 1980s as a result of a wave of co-operative development agencies being established. The greatest rate of formation of agricultural co-operatives in the UK also occurred when the Agricultural Development Division of Food from Britain supported their development with public funds, until its demise in 1993. The key question is whether the accelerated rate of formation and development which results from public sector support is sustainable when this external support wanes.

The results are mixed. Large numbers of generally-small worker co-operatives failed to mature into robust employee-owned businesses, although the rump which has survived has left the sector substantially larger than it ever was previously. On the other hand, several of the agricultural co-operatives formed during the publicly-supported period have grown to become leaders in their sector, KG Fruits and Old Leake Growers being notable examples. Internationally, state sponsored co-operative development in the third world has had more disappointments than successes, and has tended to become unfashionable amongst development theorists.

So why does public support work on some occasions, but not on others? Experience shows that it is a question of understanding where the line lies between support and coercion, and making sure that it isn't crossed. Co-operatives and self-help enterprises work best when they develop spontaneously, but when this doesn't happen naturally, a gentle nudge can work wonders. Consumer co-operatives developed like wildfire in England following the success of the Rochdale Pioneers, without substantial external support. On the other hand, Horace Plunkett and his followers spent two years travelling round Ireland shortly afterwards, trying to pursuade farmers to establish co-operatively-owned creameries, with little success.

However, once the first few were formed, the idea took off and became a spectacular success. The founders of English Food and Farming Partnerships and the Social Enterprise Coalition would do well to swat up on their co-operative history as they formulate their first development plans. By recognising fertile ground for spontaneous group enterprise development, and providing the right form of encouragement to support fledgling groups, they can work wonders. However, if either organisation tries to force the pace of development against its natural flow, they are likely to disappoint both themselves and their funders. The Plunkett Foundation wishes them both well, and looks forward to a further wave of collaborative and mutual enterprises as a result of this new-found enthusiasm for publicly-sponsored co-operative development.

Richard Moreton
Chief Executive
Plunkett Foundation

PLUNKETT'S STAFF TEAM GROWS

The Plunkett staff team, based at Long Hanborough in rural Oxfordshire, continues to grow in number. Three important appointments have been made since the last issue of Rural Connections. This completes the new team following the launch of the strategy and development plan last year.

Oliver Mathieson became Principal Consultant and Managing Director-elect of Rural Partnerships in a move to increase the momentum of the new company. It is now implementing or involved in six projects in the UK, Moldova and Albania.

Charlotte Smith was appointed as Fundraising Manager, a new position created as a result of the launch of the Rural Revival campaign last year. Charlotte previously worked on corporate fundraising for the Children's Society.

Last, but not least, Elodie Malhomme takes over Plunkett's unique Library and Information Centre as Information Services Manager. Elodie, a French national, previously managed a regional information facility for the French Ministry of Agriculture.

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