Archived News February 2003 Sludge inquiry condemns 'secrecy' Mar 31st A Holyrood committee says villagers have suffered enough over the spreading of sewage sludge on nearby fields. Vicar rescues village post office Mar 31st A Leicestershire village post office which closed when the owner moved away is to re-open in the local church.. Prince praises rural bus scheme Mar 30th A scheme which provides transport for the elderly in rural parts of Cumbria is praised by the Prince of Wales. Local shop gets expansion money Mar 29th Defra grant of £55k helps family butcher meet rising demand Scheme aims to stop rural migration Mar 29th A programme which aims to encourage young people to stay in their own communities receives a cash boost Villagers can sue over air crash Mar 29th A group of Essex villagers can sue an airline over psychiatric injuries they say they suffered after a plane crash. Campaign to save historic pub Mar 28th Residents living in a Hereford village want to save a pub from becoming a guest house. Village's cyber cafe opens Mar 27th A retired woman who plans to bring internet access to everyone in her village opens a cyber cafe. Prince celebrates village anniversary Mar 27th The Prince of Wales tours the Dorset village he helped to create to mark the development's anniversary celebrations. Plans for 'community companies' unveiled Mar 26th New Community Interest Companies (CIC) will enable entrepreneurs to use their profits and assets for the public good. Rural centre opens doors Mar 25th A centre which contains a wide range of services under one roof has been officially opened in Shropshire. One swallow doesn’t make a summer Mar 24th Over one million swallows have started arriving in Britain and Ireland for the summer breeding season, and the BTO is requesting help from birdwatchers to understand how many birds are returning and where exactly they are. Jackpot for walkers in the mountains Mar 24th Heritage lottery funding has been awarded to major programmes of mountain path repair and conservation in the Lake District and Scotland. Massive cull to halt the rise of the 'urban deer' Mar 24th Tens of thousands of wild deer are to be culled across the country after biologists warned that the animals are invading city parks, destroying woods and risking road safety. Secret Gardens Open to Public Mar 23rd Eight of the finest private country gardens in England are opening their gates to the public for one day only this summer Last post for Vera after 60 years Mar 23rd An 82-year-old Shropshire subpostmistress retires after serving a village since the 1940s. Communities not concrete say countryside campaigners Mar 22nd CPRE's campaign aims to ensure that the Government's aims for communities and housing boosts urban renewal, protects the countryside, and improves, rather than undermines, everyone's quality of life.. Homes boost for rural Cumbria. Mar 21st A government agency promises £11m to provide over 2000 affordable homes in rural Cumbria in 2003. Find out how the government is doing 'in your area'. Mar 20th A database which allows you to see key government facts and figures for your area, together with other information of interest. Warning over airport 'ghost village' Mar 19th Campaigners say a second runway at East Midlands Airport will leave a village uninhabitable.. Boundary change unites villagers Mar 18th A Pembrokeshire coastal village which has been split between two councils for 150 years is finally to be unified. Villagers ready to fight planning move Mar 18th Residents of Exminster,a Devon community, say a planning decision means their village could eventually become an Exeter suburb. Final rural business submissions invited Mar 17th Last chance to enter new award for businesses that think rural Portmeirion hopes for spin-off after poignant Cold Feet visit Mar 16th Tourism chiefs in north Wales are hoping for a healthy spin-off from the poignant finale to hit ITV1 series Cold Feet. Village celebrates cow's 21st Mar 15th An animal lover has invited the whole of his village to a 21st birthday party for his pet cow. Farm disease errors 'inexcusable' Mar 14th Avoidable mistakes were made in the government's handling of the £3bn foot-and-mouth crisis, MPs Campaign to protect our countryside in full flight! Mar 13th The Government's options for massive airport expansion have stirred a hornet's nest in middle England. More turbines to harness wind power Mar 13th New wind turbines in the Thames Estuary and off the coast of Cumbria will bring green electricity to 180,000 homes. Villagers' battle of The Bugle Mar 13th Residents float the idea of buying their riverside village pub in an attempt to stop developers closing its doors for good. McConnell's broadband pledge Mar 11th Rural communities in Scotland must be given full access to broadband, according to the first minister. Rural Communities share cash in Scotland Mar 11th Forty-six community projects in Scotland, many in small villages, are to share £1.5m to improve services and enhance the quality of life in rural areas. A new blue emblem for the UK Mar 10th The Bluebell has won most votes in the County Flower project to find the UK’s favourite wild flower Arthurian village set for facelift Mar 8th Plans for a £2.5m regeneration of Tintagel, mythical site of Camelot, in north Cornwall go on show on Friday. . Protest over village housing plan Mar 7th Plans to build 500 new homes in an Anglesey village anger residents who accuse the council of wasting public money. THINK BEFORE YOU BUY Mar 7th The Countryside Agency’s Eat the View initiative works to help consumers understand the links between what they buy, how it is produced and the countryside they love. Walk Into the History Books Mar 7th English Heritage is organising guided hikes round twelve of the most important historical sites in England, including Rievaulx Abbey and Battle, where the Battle of Hastings was fought. Countryside Alliance Gives Birth to New Rural Regeneration Force Mar 6th A new independent organisation dedicated to finding practical, progressive solutions to the problems and challenges facing rural communities has been . Council taxes set to soar Mar 5th The average band D council tax bill in England is to jump by 13% - the biggest rise since it was first introduced. Counties' anger over survey Mar 5th Staffordshire and Hertfordshire have been voted the worst places to live in a magazine survey. R.I.P. Ruddy duck Mar 4th RUDDY DUCK, a pushy American settler which has been blasted for being "over-sexed and over here", is passing on to the great duck pond in the sky. UK farms still radioactive' Mar 3rd Hundreds of farms are still contaminated with radioactive material from Chernobyl...17 years after the world's worst nuclear power disaster, Slow progress on rural speeding Mar 3rd Many villages remain blighted by speeding traffic and Government action to reduce speed limits for country lanes is crawling at a snail's pace - with little improvement on the ground. Farming in the countryside to bring back wildlife Mar 3rd Farmers in four areas of the country will have the chance to join a pilot environmental scheme, which conservation organisations claim will pave the way for more wildlife returning to the countryside. Country roads 'still too fast' Mar 2nd Campaigners urge the governmnet to cut speed limits on rural roads in Lincolnshire. Students postmark enterprise Mar 2nd Sixth form pupils living in the rural village of Bethlehem in Carmarthenshire are using the internet to offer a range of cards featuring the unique postmark of the town. Country roads 'still too fast' Mar 2nd Campaigners urge the governmnet to cut speed limits on rural roads in Lincolnshire.