Posts filed under 'Uncategorized'
Charlotte Foster is facilitating the ‘Local Retail’ workshop on Weds 1st October, along with John Longden from Pub is The Hub.
Charlotte has a long track record in community development and is a graduate of the University of Bradford, where she gained a first class honours degree in community studies. Her business career has focused on social marketing and communications, retail management, food safety and community projects.
Passionate about local regeneration, Charlotte played an active rôle in helping to set up the country’s first rural enterprise agency, which was opened by HRH, Prince of Wales, in 1988. Her work in rural regeneration continues today and she is a keen supporter of local food and also encourages social enterprise.
For Charlotte community work brings together all the different strands of her life and she says, ‘My job is to be an enabler and a catalyst and if I can help people to get projects off the ground it is very fulfilling.”
She grew up in rural Cumbria and today lives and works in the Yorkshire Dales, where she is managing director of her own company. Charlotte is a Fellow of the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management and in June 2005 she was elected a Fellow of the RSA, an organisation working to remove the barriers to social progress. In 2007, she was appointed by the Plunkett Foundation as a Rural Support Provider and she is also a Community Retail Adviser for ViRSA, the Village Retail Services Association.
September 24th, 2008
John Longden FRICS FRSA will be facilitating the ‘Local Retail’ workshop on Weds 1st October - he will be joined by Charlotte Foster from ViRSA. Here’s a bit about him:
A chartered surveyor by profession who has been Director of Pub is the Hub since its creation in 2001 through HRH The Prince of Wales as President of Business in the Community and is now based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
Formally held senior board positions within the pubs and drinks industry and as a partner with surveyors Gerald Eve initially allocated one day a week to encourage projects with rural services in pubs but due to its current success with over 300 projects completed he is now involved full time across the country with over 100 volunteers from the South West, to East Midlands, Cumbria and Wales..
John is heavily involved in trying to encourage rural pubs to support Post Office services and sits on the Community Pubs Foundation with CAMRA and is involved with the property panel of the British Beer and Pub Association and The British Institute of Innkeeping and is a founder member of the Rural Action team of Business in the Community. Supported in these campaign activities by wife Lucy, with three grown up children, he lives in Nidd, North Yorkshire. 
September 24th, 2008
The Local Food workshop is the eagerly anticipated session being facilitated by Mick Marsten from The Soil Association. We are very excited that joining him will be Nick Snelgar from Futurefarms.
Futurefarms is a co-operative, set up in early 2004, whose purpose is to grow food within the parish of Martin in Hampshire, for sale to the people who live there. They are a non-profitmaking enterprise - all proceeds from the sale of their food are used to cover costs and to build up the business. Hear about Futurefarms on the Radio 4 interview for the Food Programme HERE.
The workshop will examine the emergence of local food co-operatives (like Futurefarms), the growing demand for allotments and the opportunities to ‘grow your own’. Includes a look at ‘Community-supported Agriculture’, The Soil Association programme which supports a self-sustaining localised food and farming system.
This Local Food workshop is running on Day 1 Weds 1 October between 2.30pm - 4.15pm.
Take a look at the other workshops available over the two days HERE.
See the full event programme HERE.
September 15th, 2008
The collaboration with the Action for Market Towns (AMT) convention this year created a unique opportunity for the sector, to deliver two distinct rural events back-to-back over 3 days. There has been a lot of interest in elements of both conferences, but people are not able to spare three days. As such, we have decided to bring ruralnet|2008 Live & Local into the AMT convention and give delegates even greater choice of workshops and study tours over a two-day period, 1-2 October.
We have faced challenges raising support for bursaries this year and so, by combining the events we are able to release resources to invest in the online elements of the event which will be open to everyone, wherever you are.
See the revised PROGRAMME.
Book Now
Participate Online (free of charge)
I’ve already booked for Live & Local. What are the implications of these changes for me?
We have contacted all those who have already booked and made the necessary changes to your booking. If you have any further queries please call Sam or Angela on 0845 1300 411,
September 3rd, 2008
Using a social networking tool called ‘crowdvine‘, people are connecting and sharing ideas before the conference!
Here are taster of the subjects people are interested in:
Affordable housing * Fuel poverty * Public transport * Strong Communities * Broadband * Community empowerment * Dying villages * Housing * Local energy * Local services * Rural isolation * Transport
With people from:
Arqiva * Charity Bank * DavePress * Linconshire County Council * May Partnership Ltd * NAVCA * Pathfinder * Popokatea * ruralnet * SCIP * Soil Association * Stratford-upon-Avon CVS * Yorkshire Forward *
Signing up is easy and you can meet some interesting people and take part in some interesting debates.
What do YOU want to talk about?
August 15th, 2008
We are offering a variety of different promotional options to people and organisations that are interested in highlighting their projects or work at Future Choices - Live & Local. We have attracted a diverse, innovative and creative audience of delegates who all have an interest in rural challenges and opportunities. We are expecting more than 250 people.
If you would like to reach these people, then please take a look at the different ways here. Prices start from £40 + VAT for your logo on the website. Be quick! Deadlines apply to the delegate pack inserts and delegate brochure adverts.
Contact Samantha Adams or Rob Mannion on 0845 1300 411 if you require any further information.
August 11th, 2008
We are using a system called ‘crowdvine’. Please feel free to register. It’s incredibly easy and you can also invite your friends. Anyone can register and start interacting even if they don’t intend to come to the event.
Networking needs YOU! If you have not already signed up, do so here - and see who you could ‘meet’.
This could be you!
July 31st, 2008
Time out to meet with and form important links with fellow delegates has always been an integral part of all of our conferences. In the past we have used ‘networking boards’ in the conference reception area, along with colour-coded name badges; we have implemented various tools to help to nuture and support contact between delegates.
This year we are doing things a bit different. We are getting creative with the latest Web 2.0 technology which will enable opportunities for people to ‘meet’ before the event and find out who will be there, amongst other things.
Over the next few weeks, we will be creating the ’space’ for delegates to form discussion topics before the event and engage with others that have similar interests.
We will be writing more about this session in the coming weeks - it’s going to be good!
July 16th, 2008
The ‘Local Retail’ workshop at Future Choices - Live and Local! was always going to be a lively and engaging session with Charlotte Foster from The Plunkett Foundation (ViRSA). But we are delighted to announce that John Longden from Pub is The Hub will be joining Charlotte to examine the opportunities that exist for rural communities to ‘join things up’ in terms of local retail outlets, including the local pub.
This workshop is being delivered on Day 1 of the conference - Wednesday 1 October at Skipton Town Hall at 2:20pm - 4:00pm.
See the full workshop programme for the two days here.
July 16th, 2008
Previous Posts
Charlotte Foster is facilitating the ‘Local Retail’ workshop on Weds 1st October, along with John Longden from Pub is The Hub.
