Archived News August 2003 Villagers fight to save post office Aug 25th A beer festival is being held in Rackenford, near Tiverton, a Devon village, to help raise money to save the local post office.Rackenford, near Tiverton. Celebrating the Great British Picnic Aug 22nd Picnics are a classic way to enjoy good food and beautiful countryside, as the c/o British Farming Group marks British Picnic Week with a 'perfect picnic planner'. TWO HUNDRED STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Aug 22nd The Countryside Agency and British Heart Foundation’s Walking the way to Health Initiative (WHI) has hit its target to get 200 new healthy walking groups Crime-hit village 'fenced in' Aug 22nd Access to parts village of Coundon, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham is to be sealed off by large metal gates in an effort to keep out criminals. Village purge on street drinkers Aug 22nd Police mount a crack down on village youngsters drinking alcohol in car parks and streets in East Yorkshire. Push for 'quiet lanes' Aug 21st The Council for the Protection of Rural England wants to see the 'quiet lanes' trialled in Norfolk in the rest of the country. Relief for traffic-choked villages Aug 20th Work has begun to help 21 traffic-choked villages between Brampton and Cambridge off the A14. Dry spell keeping badgers’ meals at bay Aug 18th The hot, dry weather is depriving badgers of earthworms – their staple diet – resulting in them foraging for food wherever Pensioned off in the countryside Aug 18th A rural area is not the most idyllic place to live if you haven’t got a pension, and women are most at risk of pensioner poverty, according to new research. Wild chickens are "too noisy" Aug 18th Villagers want to quieten a flock of wild chickens which they say keep them awake in the early hours of the morning. Oil 'wasteland' fears examined Aug 16th The discovery of the UK's largest on-shore oil field at Avington near Winchester has led to concerns among some residents that their rolling green hills could be replaced by an industrial wasteland. Under the guns of the grouse shooters Aug 13th All "country pursuits" are under the spotlight. Grouse shooting is no exception - to some it's a cruel amusement for the rich; to others it helps keep rural economies alive. Fly plague hits village Aug 13th Farming practices and the heatwave are blamed for a swarm of flies, laying siege to a Wiltshire village. Noise row erupts in villages Aug 12th A shop with noisy fridges and a pub with live music could face £20,000 fines after residents complain. Dragons and damsels are far from distressed Aug 10th A Leicestershire farmer has provided the ideal habitat for the county’s dragonflies, and they are thriving.. Producers get small share of costs Aug 9th New figures just published show that the proportion a farmer takes home from the retail price of shopping basket favourites, has fallen by a quarter since 1985. 'Townie threat' to rural areas Aug 8th People from towns wanting a slice of country life are undermining the structure of rural life in Wales. Scarecrow police stop speeding Aug 7th Two scarecrows dressed as police officers are cutting motorists' speed through a Cornish village. Church answers postal prayers Aug 6th St James' Church at Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire has become the first Parish Church in the country to take over the running of a full-time post office. Threat to village wardens Aug 5th A village warden scheme in Cornwall is being threatened by a loss of government funding. Catering for the local economy Aug 5th £5 billion potential boost to local economies through local food in public sector catering City buyers snap up farms Aug 4th More than half of people buying farms in the South West are not farmers, according to a new survey. The farm furthest from the sea Aug 4th Just outside the quaint village of Coton, Derbyshire in the Elms is a small farm. Rural rail faces slow going Aug 2nd Rail travellers who use regional routes and rural lines could face longer journeys under new plans from the Strategic Rail Authority. Charles visits top village Aug 1st Prince Charles has visited Llanddarog, a picturesque village in Carmarthenshire, named the best in Wales. New centre to boost rural economy Aug 1st A Shropshire university college is launching a new project, hoping to increase its support of rural businesses. Housing plan lacks targets to deliver Aug 1st The welcome Government stated intentions to deliver housing needs through sustainable communities will be lost without targets for density and brownfield regeneration