ruralnet|2006 conference

The stage is set...

...the technology is ready and waiting. The delegates are arriving. The anticipation is high. Roll on the first day of the ruralnet|2006 conference.

Unplug your wires and reconnect your network

Simon Bland, chair of ruralnet|uk trustees welcomes the early-bird delegates to this years conference. With over 200 delegates from both the private and public sector. this is promising to be the most successful and liveliest ruralnet conference ever.

Simon says "Not only are we pushing the boundaries of human networking and interaction, but the setting (Center Parcs) is also at the forefront of venues. I'm very excited about this years conference and looking forward to hearing some of the keynote speakers."

Conference live - The countdown begins

With less than 24 hours to go until the start of ruralnet|2006, we'll be doing our best to bring you a flavour of this year's conference.  Over the next two days we'll be using the site to let know know about upcoming sessions, asking for questions and reporting back on what's going on for delegates and website visitors alike.

Delegates can join in by commenting on the posts or contributing to the pool of photos. Upload your pictures to Flickr and tag them 'ruralnet2006' and they will appear in the panel on the left-hand side.

Hold on tight and prepare to be blogged if you're at Centre Parcs, especially if you're already on your bike and on your way to ruralnet|2006!

One woman and her dog - the after dinner entertainment

An after-dinner speech by Katy Cropper, the first and only woman to win BBC TV's 'one man and his dog' will be a special and entertaining treat to round off the end of the first day of the event.

This success brought her almost overnight 'celebrity status' leading to invitations to country shows, and even a TV appearance on Wogan and Blue Peter.  Katy has appeared in a video about a year in the life of a shepherdess, written a book, and produced a sheepdog training video.  No doubt she will have more than a few interesting anecdotes to tell us!

Lift share online

This year's venue for ruralnet|2006 is Centre Parcs, Sherwood Forest and all delegates will have access to bicycles for the duration of the conference. 

However if you intend to 'go green' from the start, then why not share a lift?  Delegates are coming from all over the UK so if you need a lift , or can spare a seat then let others know here.

All you have to do is leave a comment in this post starting with either WANTED (if you need a lift) or OFFERING (if you have some spare space in your vehicle) and saying where you are coming from.

Check back regularly and see if someone else out there can help.

What will be your verdict at the ruralnet|trial?

Circuit Judge Marshall welcomes you to the first session of the ruralnet|uk court, sitting at Center Parcs on Thursday the 12th October 2006.

There is but one case to be heard, although that is a most heinous crime: that agencies involved in rural development have exaggerated the issue of rural deprivation.

As attendees of the conference, the fate of these agencies is in your hands. Twelve people good and true, selected from the conference will deliver their verdict after having heard the case. There are only two certainties in these proceedings:

• The debate will be of high quality with Gordon Morris for the prosecution and Prof. Michael Dower for the defence,
• The sentencing will be poor, as Judge Marshall still confuses the deprived with the depraved!

Spotlight on... The Post Office and the challenges of service delivery in rural areas

The Post Office is sponsoring ruralnet|2006 for the second year running.  Often ran by and for local people, the local post office branch is a vital service for rural communities.  But, like many organisations, they face considerable commercial pressures, with the biggest challenge often being keeping rural post office branches open.

Some creative and innovative ways have already been taken to ensure post office branches remain sustainable including:

• Working in partnership with local groups and other service partners, for instance with high street banks, the police and tourist boards to provide access to these services. 
• By looking at new technologies to find simpler ways for community groups to run post office branches.

Where next for The Post Office? Post your comments here.

Do Regional Development Agencies need to do more to support local service providers and businesses?

A courtroom drama will round off this years conference. Controversially, the charge is that rural development agencies are deliberately exaggerating the phenonemon of 'rural deprivation' to their own ends.

So, do Regional Development Agencies need to do more to support local service providers and businesses? If so, what do you think they can do to improve sustainability in rural areas?

Start the debate now and all comments and suggestions left here will be fed into the courtroom drama on the day.

Speaker Profile: Simon Hebditch

Simon has joined the recently launched government funded organisation, Capacitybuilders as Chief Executive.  Previously to this, he was the Executive Director of External Affairs for the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).  His responsibilities included strategic planning for the organisation, public relations and liaison with various government departments on policy issues facing the charity sector.  Simon chaired the consortium that drew up the business plan for financing the Voluntary and Community Sector national hubs of the ChangeUp programme.  Simon was CAF's principal representative in establishing The Giving Campaign in 2001 following the charitable tax reforms introduced in 2000. 

During his career in the Voluntary and Community Sector Simon has also worked for Age Concern England, MIND, Bradford Metro Council for Voluntary Service and NCVO.

Capacitybuilders has been created to help strengthen the Voluntary and Community Sector.  As a highlight of the ruralnet|2006 programme, Simon will outline how he envisages Capacitybuilders will do this over the next few years.

Farmers market - what will you spend your vouchers on?

The Farmers Market will run throughout the event.  Not only will attendees be able to sample fresh local produce, but it should also provoke 'food for thought' about how farmers markets/shops can contribute to the sustainability of rural communities.

Why not spend vouchers provided at the event to purchase any of the following range of produce:

• Savoury & Sweet Pies
• Pork Pies
• Pickles
• Ice cream
• Stilton
• Smoked Salmon and Meats

Do you use farmers markets in your area? If not, why? Leave your comments here.