As a Rural Community Council, our role is to keep rural on the agenda across Hampshire, championing the experiences and needs of rural communities.
We know that often rural communities are more likely to experience digital exclusion and have challenges accessing services due to poor public transportation and distance. Due to smaller population numbers, inequalities and deprivation are often hidden in rural communities. At the same time, communities in rural areas have so much to offer – rural spaces are communal hubs, and many have well established informal support networks and a sense of community spirit and togetherness that, if harnessed, can achieve incredible things.
Over the past 70 years, we’ve done a wide variety of rural community development work:
- Supporting community-led planning
- Supporting shops and post offices in rural areas
- Access to services for rural communities
- Community transport for rural communities
- Digital connectivity and inclusion
- Addressing social exclusion and loneliness
- Helping rural communities adapt and reduce their contribution to climate change
- Secretarial support for the Hampshire Rural Forum
Project Partners
Whether you’re part of a rural community or want to engage with rural communities, we’re keen to hear from you.
As part of our Rural Community Council role, we can provide some initial guidance and support. Our experienced team are also available to contract for larger pieces of work such as research and advisory services.
You can see some of our current activity across the towns and villages of Hampshire through our work with community halls and centres and our Rural Housing Enabling. We also champion rural communities in everything we do, including our work on fuel poverty, loneliness, and emergency response.
