Village Issues To highlight, explain and discuss the issues of concern to villagers and show some of the solutions to the problems we will be polling and surveying our visitors over the next few months on the following subjects and then reporting back on action taken and responses received -The Guardian's guide to the problems in the countryside Social exclusion remains a rural reality... Where is the best place to live in Britain? Connecting town and country Country Life's Countryside Concerns Villages Under Threat Checklist Will Help Government Departments Think Rural , click here GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE ON LOCATING RURAL SERVICES The guide in pdf format here NEW CAMPAIGNERS' GUIDE FROM COUNTRYSIDE CHAMPIONS ... click here to see the checklist New guidance for phone masts Phone masts near you? 1. Transport - Access to affordable, reliable and safe public transport - Cost of local transport - Making country roads safer      Getting rural communities on the move      Greenways and Quiet Roads click here      Traffic Trauma Or Rural Tranquillity? 2. Employment - Encouragement of small businesses - Homeworking possibilities Click here for homeworking guide - land based work 3. Access to local shops - Encouragement for local post offices - other local shops - the Pubs the Hub £450m Lifeline to rural post offices Welsh village fights pub closure Prince toasts the village pub The BBC's Catherine Marston looks at the role of the pub in local, village life (video) Pupils tuck in to 'pub' lunches 'Cyber pubs' log on 4. Using Local Produce DEFRA's page on Sustainable farming & food New guides promote local food Some Benefits and Drawbacks of Local Food Systems Farming for birds- meat delivered to your door from a wildlife-friendly farm on Islay Organic Directory - retailers, box schemes, farm shops, restaurants ... Big Barn - Virtual farmers market See also Farmers Market Website - for details of farmers markets in your area Countryside Agency launches a new site 'Eat the View' Sustainable Local Foods are Key to Rural Recovery BUYING LOCAL GENERATES CASH Read "Farming and Food - The Future - A Consultation Document" (in pdf) Food and farming in the UK - RSPB's views Government funding to promote Farmers Markets Reconnecting Consumers, Farmers, Communities and the Countryside Local Products Key for Rural Local Economies 5. Access to Information - Internet access and availability of broad-band connections - Librarry facilities - General information Broadband 4Britain Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) .. Government's key advisory group on Broadband. 6. Affordable housing - For land based workers - For children of local people Free Guide to Everything you wanted to know about Planning Applications RURAL HOMES - MORE THAN FOR THE WEEKEND New study on rural homelesness Rural communities threatened as homes become less affordable Rural people need homes too 7. Community Facilities - Village Church upkeep - Village halls - Leisure facilties for teens and younger Village hall funding debated in Commons 8. Protecting the heritage - new buildings - landscape - balance between town dwellers recreation and villagers privacy Letter Boxes Preserved As National Icons Prince backs retro village for Cornwall Report Car dumping on line 9. Village Community Businesses Rural Economies - Exploding the myths Local cashpoint vital for market town business Rubbish tip methane to cut village heating bills in half Local People Creating Local Power 'Farmers could earn cash by trapping flood water' Government Initiatives Countryside Stewardship makes payments to farmers and other land managers to enhance and conserve English landscapes, their wildlife and history and to help people to enjoy them. Government cycling fund doubled First local finance initiative for rural areas Helping rural communities help themselves Market Towns Toolkit-useful list of funding Small businesses offered makeover to attract investors £30 million boost for fast internet services New £75 million boost to help small businesses grow Great Ways to Go - a flexible and innovative approach to rural transport Revitalising English Villages Resources MP's - List with websites and email addresses Local Government - List of authorities websites Links to sites with help on village issues Rural Click The portal for Village Halls, support and suppliers, advice and special offers for village hall management committees Village Hall Offers A site highlighting special deals and offers for village halls Market Towns Toolkit Vital Villages The Countryside Agency is offering grant support and advice to help you ask members of your community about the issues that affect them and to enable you to develop solutions that suit your community Local Heritage Initiative Grants for helping people care for their local landscape, landmarks and traditions New Opportunities Fund - Lottery Distributor created to award grants to health, education and environment projects throughout the UK... focus particularly on those in society who are most disadvantaged. Countryside Alliance - The Countryside Alliance promotes the interests of rural people, including all field sports (hunting, shooting, fishing, falconry, ferreting, coursing, stalking etc), sensible wildlife management, and wider countryside concerns such as jobs, landscapes and freedoms. It represents these interests in the media, in Parliament, in schools and throughout the UK