News Archive

The Plunkett Foundation is calling for tender proposals to undertake an on-going evaluation of the Specialist Enterprise Support strand of Making Local Food Work. The chief objective for Specialist Enterprise Support is; through the delivery of business advice and mentoring support, ‘to enable 200 community based food enterprises across England to develop and thrive’. Making Local Food Work is a £10m BIG Lottery funded programme involving seven partner organisations, managed by the Plunkett Foundation. Evaluation of this strand should commence in April 2010 and run to March 2012. The deadline for submission is Wednesday 31st March – submissions to be...

For the latest round-up on Co-operatives and Social Enterprise, Farming and Food, Rural Development and International News read the Plunkett Weekly News.

The European Commission Tuesday said it plans to revise a law governing the provision of basic telephone and Internet services to Europe's most remote regions to bring it up to date with modern technological demands. The current telecoms universal services law from 2002 ensures all European Union citizens have access to fixed-line telephone and basic Internet, regardless of their location. The commission is concerned the rules are outdated and should be expanded to cover broadband access. To decide how the law should be changed, and how this broadband provision should be financed, the commission wants opinions from stakeholders and interested...

Our Chairman and the Government's Rural Advocate, Dr Stuart Burgess, has launched his Rural Advocate Report 2010 to the Government today (Thursday 4 March). This year’s report focuses on issues affecting children and young people living and working in rural England. Dr Burgess has outlined several issues affecting the sustainability of the countryside, substantiated with robust recommendations. The report also focuses on some examples of inspirational individuals who have overcome some of the challengesfacing their communities.http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/events/ruraladvocatereport2010launched.© Commission for Rural Communities

An army of new urban beekeepers supported by The Co-operative could help to reverse the worrying decline in the British honeybee population. As part of its on-going Plan Bee campaign, The Co-operative (on 1 March) announced a further £225,000 to fund bee research, as well as a step up in its support of the establishment of hives in city gardens and allotments across the UK. More and more city dwellers are taking up beekeeping since the plight of the British honeybee population, which experts believe halved in England between 1985 and 2005, was publicised. Last year, The Co-operative piloted an...

A new online network dedicated to community-owned shops is being officially launched on Friday 12 March by the Plunkett Foundation at Thorncombe Community Shop in West Dorset, 11-12.30pm. Oliver Letwin MP, who in addition to being a Thorncombe’s local MP is a volunteer in Thorncombe community shop, will officially launch the new service.The Community Shops Network (www.plunkett.uk.net.) enables communities to access specialist advisory support on a range of issues and factual information relating to setting up a community-owned shop, including legal, financial and retailing advice and Post Office queries. As well as answering questions, the site provides up-to-date information on...

A two-year project supporting rural communities in the Northwest of England has created or safeguarded 70 jobs and supported 57 social enterprises.Strengthening Rural Communities across the North West was set up in July 2007 to improve the services available in rural area and increase productivity.Operating across Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria the £826,000 programme targeted those rural areas which most needed help. The result was 57 social enterprises being supported across a wide range of services including childcare, health and social care, retail and recycling where there had previously been market failure.Chief Executive of the Plunkett Foundation, Peter Couchman says: “Rural...

For the latest round-up on Co-operatives and Social Enterprise, Farming and Food, Rural Development and International News read the Plunkett Weekly News.

Charities and campaigning organisations are being urged to push for change through their local council. In a major speech on 23 February, John Denham called on third sector groups to focus their campaigns on local councils who are being given new powers to shine a spotlight on the way all local services are delivered, on behalf of their communities. Under a Private Members Bill, backed by the Government, councils will have strengthened powers to scrutinise all significant local public service spending in their area. They will be able to legally compel organisations to attend council scrutiny hearings in order to...

Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) and the Rural Community Action Network (RCAN) welcome today’s announcement about future funding from the BIG Lottery Fund. A dedicated capital funding stream is expected to be launched in the Autumn as part of the BIG Lottery Reaching Communities programme. It is likely to fund medium sized refurbishments, new builds or extensions to community centres, village halls or other community use buildings meeting local community needs and aspirations.Capital funding is desperately needed by halls and community centres across the country to improve and modernise an ageing stock of buildings that provide vital services...