Rural Futures
Rural Futures demonstrated the power of small-scale, grassroots actions to bring about lasting change for rural, disadvantaged communities. The seven-year programme covered 14 communities scattered across Wales and completed June 2024.
New confidence to embrace the future
Rural communities are often blessed with stunning landscapes, tranquillity and proximity to nature. But under the surface, at least for some, there are real hardships in terms of affordable housing, fuel and food poverty, lack of employment, as well as access to services and transport.
The Rural Futures programme, which was funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, supported communities to develop their own ideas to tackle some of these challenges and to make the most of local opportunities – whether that was the landscape, history of the area, or the skills, knowledge and energy of residents.
Creating opportunities for themselves
Over the course of seven years, 14 rural Welsh communities rose to the challenge of devising and running home-grown projects to create opportunities for their people and make their places more resilient. Their experience of rural poverty was broadly similar but each community has its own history and character and devised a solution specific to their particular needs.
Many faced twists and turns on their journey – and all had to weather the stresses and delays of Covid-19 lockdowns – but they are all emerging with greater confidence and flexibility to face future challenges. Several are already applying for funding for follow-on projects.
Community project groups
From fourteen communities, over a period of seven years, grew a range of fantastic ideas which we were able to support from concept to completion.
Click on each community to find inspiring films and case studies.
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Set in the heart of Eryri, Bro Machno is surrounded by stunning landscapes and its communities have strong social ties. But living in the middle of a tourist haven brings its own challenges and threats to local culture and sustainability.
Rural Futures supported the community to carry out a consultation that identified the areas of greatest concern to local people. The group applied for Rural Futures funding and the Penmachno Community Hub project was born: to revamp the community-owned Penmachno Memorial Hall into a modern hub for the wider Bro Machno community. In addition, the group tackled the problem of local housing, and developed a proposal for community-owned housing. The proposal was taken to Senedd committee responsible for rural housing issues – quite an achievement for a small group of local volunteers!
Read about the community’s experience here
Watch the film about Bro Machno’s journey here
The villages of Bryngwran and Gwalchmai have a strong Welsh character and tradition of looking after each other that helped them through the Covid-19 pandemic. When asked ‘What makes Gwalchmai a special place?’ villagers emphasised their welcoming and close-knit community and the caring and supportive ethos established through the generations.
Through consultations in 2021 people prioritised their need for better employment opportunities and access to relevant services – both hindered by the isolation of the settlements. Activities for the young and affordable housing for local young families were also problematic. But first they needed a space to work from.
The group was constituted as Hwb Cymunedol Gwalchmai Cyf in September 2022 to take forward their Rural Futures project, a new off-grid community hub alongside the local play area made by converting two containers to provide a meeting space, kitchen, office and toilets. By 2024, the group had their sights set on the next project, to upgrade the adjacent play area and facilities once the hub is up and running.
The ambition of the community has grown with a range of further grants starting to bring to life a vision to convert the outbuildings of the not-for-profit pub and community hub, the Iorwerth Arms, which was saved from closure and demolition through community action in 2015.
Read about the community’s experience here
Watch the film about the community’s journey here
Nestled in the beautiful UNESCO-designated Dyfi Biosphere, the small village of Cwm Llinau has a long history of community cohesion.
Rural Futures has worked closely with people in the village, as they start to rejuvenate community facilities and increase local involvement. The group fundraised to develop a new playpark and Rural Futures funding was concentrated on renovation of the village hall. The scale of renovation required match funding from Welsh Government’s Community Facilities Programme and Ecodyfi’s Windfall fund.
Read about the community’s experience here
Watch the film about Cwm Llinau’s journey here
The once-thriving Gwynedd villages of Clwt y Bont, Deiniolen and Dinorwig have faced economic decline since the closure of Dinorwig Slate Quarry in 1969. But despite these difficulties, the villages are a tight-knit community, fiercely proud of their roots and their ‘patch’. When a Rural Futures project was first suggested in Deiniolen local people showed real ambition to think big.
It became clear that a community space was desperately needed to support skills development and deliver a programme of events and activities for the area.
Rural Futures supported local people to gain Charitable Incorporated Organisation status and the group secured the lease on premises – former community rooms at a school. Renovation work began.
Read about the community’s experience here
Watch the film about Deiniolen’s journey here
Grosmont is a beautiful village in sparsely populated north-east Monmouthshire, with a medieval castle and Georgian town hall. Despite its attractions the area ranks in the bottom two per cent for access to services in Wales, and villagers grasped the chance that Rural Futures – a seven year programme completed by Severn Wye in 2024 – offered to get together and decide what their community needed.
The rich outputs from their story studio were published and shared, generating a mailing list of people interested in taking ideas forward. Among the priorities identified, residents agreed they needed to revitalise the town hall into a welcoming base for activities and services that could address several priorities at once. A new group, Grosmont Futures (GF), was born to take the project forward which formalised into a community association and subsequently a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation).
Read about the community’s experience here
Watch the film about Grosmont’s journey here
Neighbouring Pembrokeshire villages Kilgetty and Begelly have seen rapid growth over the past few decades with several new housing estates built and more planned. Much of the existing housing is too small for families but instead has attracted retirees with little connection to the area. Meanwhile, despite the rise in population, the primary school roll has steadily fallen and the villages look likely to have an increasingly high proportion of older residents as time goes on.
The community’s story studio, ‘My Square Mile’, welcomed more than 250 visitors and a newly formed steering group enthusiastically worked through the emerging ideas, which included low-cost activities such as coffee mornings, a historical society, the revival of a classic car club and a Men’s Shed.
The community volunteers maintained momentum through lockdown and the project which emerged – Kilgetty Community Enhancements’ – was awarded a full grant in April 2023, with some adaptation to the original ideas.
Read about the community’s experience here
Watch the film about Kilgetty and Begelly villages’ journey here
Llandovery is a small market town in far north-east Carmarthenshire. It has an attractive town centre, interesting history and an enviable natural environment. Despite decent transport links and a range of facilities, many people in the town feel forgotten by regional bodies. All Llandovery’s banks have closed and the town’s outlying districts are ranked in the bottom four per cent for access to services.
Rural Futures supported local people to identify and develop plans for a project to boost visitor spend through town centre events, led by Llandovery Youth and supported by the steering group. Four years on and in April 2024, the project was officially launched as ‘Hybu’, meaning to promote and nurture.
Read about the community’s experience here
Watch the film about Llandovery’s journey here
Llanelly Hill is a dispersed village in north-west Monmouthshire – in fact a collection of six small scattered hamlets that grew out of coal mining and limestone quarrying for the nearby ironworks in the early 19th century. There are no shops or facilities other than the Welfare Hall, playground and a pub which is under repair after a fire.
The isolation and lack of facilities mean people generally have to travel to nearby towns for services, some of which aren’t connected by public transport. It is a very mixed community which has seen a wave of new people coming to the village since the removal of tolls on the Severn crossing, but is nevertheless still somewhat neglected by statutory bodies.
The Rural Futures place coordinator arranged a series of conversations across the community that concluded Llanelly Hill’s Welfare Hall could be a focus for an initiative to improve access to services, and a working group was set up to run an engagement event to help shape the project.
Those first conversation led to a surprising discovering and the opportunity to work in partnership with Monmouthshire County Council. With a successful grant application for Rural Futures funding in April 2024, the Llanelly Hill Hub project is now firmly on a path to safeguard the hall as place to serve the needs of the community for years to come – with two years of community activities and support secured as a first phase.
Read about the community’s experience here
Llandysul’s story studio, with interactive media and presentations in Welsh and English, revealed strong concerns about local food security and rising costs from the decline of Llandysul High Street. Local foodbanks offered some help for the most vulnerable, but residents wanted space for community growing to do even more.
With microgrants to support ongoing public engagement the decision was made to combine Tysul Youth’s intergenerational growing project with Ffynnon Youth’s community garden to create a new initiative: ‘Yr Ardd’.
In early 2021 Yr Ardd was registered as a CIC (community interest company) with support from RENEW Wales, and Social Business Wales helped them develop a business plan.
Fast track to 2024 – and various twists and turns – and Yr Ardd will host a year-round programme of volunteer training, infrastructure building courses, and encourage the use of the Welsh language in relation to plants and growing.
Read about the community’s experience here
Watch the film about Llandysul’s journey here
The medieval market town of Llannerchymedd had a thriving boot and clog-making industry in the 18th century but by the end of the 19th century increasing mechanisation led to economic decline, and today fewer than ten shops remain. Public transport is sporadic, limiting access to jobs and services, and the community was ranked the most deprived on Anglesey in 2014.
The village’s story studio saw 121 people share their views on village life and their discussions identified a need for a community hub/workshop space in the village. Local groups jointly agreed to put this forward as a project, with a vision to encourage villagers of all ages to socialise, learn, train, share hobbies and skills as well as have the chance to access advice and information from a range of public and third sector services.
Despite its popularity with tourists, the coastal settlement of New Quay was somewhat overlooked, being too small to fit Ceredigion County Council’s place-planning criteria. Residents experience in-work poverty due to low-paid seasonal employment, and second-home ownership means the permanent population is around 900 against the summer maximum of more than 10,000 people.
New Quay’s Rural Futures journey began during the Covid-19 pandemic, so the place coordinator had no choice but to engage the widest possible audience remotely, finding some innovative ways of doing so.
Read about the community’s experience here
Watch the film about New Quay’s journey here
The picturesque town of Llangollen in Denbighshire is home to the annual International Eisteddfod. The town buzzes in the summer when tourism and hospitality provide employment, but jobs are low-paid and many people rely on benefits out of season.
The community’s story studio, ‘Love Llangollen’, and further meetings with town and parish councils concluded that Llangollen needed two Rural Futures projects, one for Pengwern and one for nearby Pentredŵr.
The Pengwern estate, overlooking Llangollen, is a close-knit community of mostly social housing where deprivation remains high. Our Rural Futures work assisted the community to install a community space, as a springboard to develop a range of community activities and host much needed services. Our trusted relationships with agencies that continue to support the development and connections within the community, give a firm foundation for climate action activities to tackle local energy issues. The community has been struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and are seeking ways to reduce household bills.
Read about the community’s experience here
Watch the film about Pengwern’s journey here
The picturesque town of Llangollen in Denbighshire is home to the annual International Eisteddfod. The town buzzes in the summer when tourism and hospitality provide employment, but jobs are low-paid and many people rely on benefits out of season.
The community’s story studio, ‘Love Llangollen’, and further meetings with town and parish councils concluded that Llangollen needed two Rural Futures projects, one for Pengwern and one for nearby Pentredŵr.
Pentredŵr residents have deep affection for their hometown and cherish its natural surroundings. To move forward, community enterprise, reducing isolation, skills development, digital provision and partnership working were identified as crucial elements to residents.
The Pentredŵr District Community Association and self-funded community interest company Gwlângollen joined forces to create the Pentredŵr Hub project.
Read about the community’s experiences here
Watch the film about Pentredwr’s journey here
The small village of Trawsfynydd is the birthplace of renowned Welsh poet, Hedd Wyn, whose home has become a local visitor attraction. Water from nearby Llyn Trawsfynydd provided cooling for the UK’s first inland nuclear power station which supported well-paid local employment from 1965 and the community had a strong economy. But since the plant’s decommissioning in 1991 many local businesses have closed.
Rural Futures supported local people to develop a long-term project plan to improve their village hall facilities. Rural Futures also funded a project co-ordinator tasked to enliven the village with a programme of activities for all ages, designed to increase social interaction, skills development, information sharing and volunteering opportunities.
Read about the community’s experience here
Watch the film about Trawsfynydd’s journey here
Reports and resources
Rural Futures Programme Report June 2024
How did Rural Futures support people to identify and tackle the challenges that mattered in their communities? Our programme report summarises 7 years work across 14 communities in Wales.
Evaluation of the Rural Futures Programme 2017-2024
Read our evaluation report produced by Wavehill: Social and Economic Research, including lessons learned and recommendations for future policy decision-makers.
Rural Futures toolkit: Ten case studies
A collection of ten projects drawn from different parts of the UK to share the learning from groups which have tackled the challenges that rural poverty brings to their different communities.
Community-led approaches to tackling poverty in rural Wales
Evaluation of the Rural Futures programme – executive summary by Professor Paul Milbourne, School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University.
Expert Advisory Panel
An Expert Advisory Panel (EAP) was established to support, steer and challenge the delivery team responsible for delivering the Rural Futures Programme.
The EAP made a vital contribution to:
- Ensuring that the overall Programme was run in the most effective and innovate way,
- Guarantee that the results are shared in a way that will have the greatest impact across Wales, and
- Confirm the 14 selected communities received the best support they could to create effective long-term solutions to rural poverty.
The EAP was a non-executive, advisory role to support and provide robust, constructive challenge to the management team of the Rural Futures programme. It also brought examples of best practice and ways of working from different sectors to support the programme.
Specific objectives of the Expert Advisory Panel included:
- Providing advice, support and challenge to the Rural Futures programme management team and the evaluation of the programme
- Champion the programme and disseminate learning to key organisations across Wales to influence future decisions and policy on rural poverty. Dissemination should be both up and out to maximise the potential to influence policy.
- Ensure there is an awareness of best practice and outcomes from current and previous programmes and identify opportunities for collaboration, partnership working and funding
- Identifying opportunities to trial new and innovative practices to address rural poverty
The Panel members were selected because of their diverse experience and expertise and because of their ability to influence thinking and future policy on rural poverty by championing and disseminating the learning from the Programme.
Rural Futures Expert Advisory Panel members
Members:
- Peter Davies – Chair (WCVA)
- Helen Minnice Smith (Welsh Government, Rural Economy and Legislation Division)
- Aaron Fort (Welsh Government)
- Mike Learmond (Federation of Small Businesses)
- Mark Hooper (Indycube)
- David Lea-Wilson (Halen Mon)
- Liz Bickerton (Independent)
- David Skydmore (Independent)
Observers:
- Rob Roffe (TNLCF)
- Endaf Griffiths (Wavehill)
- Nina Sharp (Wavehill)
- Paul Milbourne (Cardiff university)
Introduction
The Rural Futures (RF) Programme (www.ruralfutures.wales) was funded by The National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF) and delivered by Severn Wye and the BRO Partnership between 2017 and 2024. The Programme was aimed at helping communities to tackle a range of rural challenges, including: lack of affordable housing, poor access to services, low levels of enterprise, low paid and seasonal employment, out-migration of younger people and an ageing population, as well as the loss of the Welsh language and culture etc.
An integral part of the Programme was the establishment of an Expert Advisory Panel (EAP), chaired by Peter Davies CBE. Following a final conference at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff on the 13th June 2024 the EAP now issue a collective statement, setting out their thoughts on the policy implications for rural Wales.
The importance of community-led approaches
The RF Programme – which took place during a period of unprecedent external changes including austerity, Covid, Brexit and the cost of living crisis – provides clear evidence that:
“community-led responses to tackling poverty in rural places could, and arguably should, have a part to play within anti-poverty and rural development policies in Wales”. (Prof Paul Milbourne 2024).
Whilst it is too soon to claim that the Programme resulted in a significant reduction of rural poverty, it is clear that there has been an increase in social capacity, skills and confidence. Over a longer period, each of the 14 communities supported are likely to undertake further activities to improve their local areas.
Lessons learnt
There was never an intention that the RF Programme would be repeated, but there are several important lessons that policy makers and funders may wish to consider, and these are set out below:
- Long term and flexible funding, as provided by TNLCF, allowing communities to identify their own problems and solutions, is vital. It is important to acknowledge that community development requires time and patience and each area is different.
- Evaluating programmes within the delivery timescale can only ever measure outputs (i.e. targets, such as the number of people attending events) instead of the longer term outcomes (i.e. the impact and the difference made). To ensure the most effective use of public money project evaluations need to be linked to longitudinal and rigorous research.
- The use of innovative ways of getting people interested and involved, such as Story Studios (see website for details), is important in creating a fresh and open agenda for consultation, as opposed to asking questions only on set topics.
- RF’s Place Coordinators supported each community in identifying local challenges and then developing and delivering their own solutions, based on local assets, such as the buildings, greenspaces and the skills of residents (see website for details). Future support for rural areas should be based on a skilled and networked set of Place Coordinators, working across agencies and sectors and encouraging peer to peer support between communities.
- In any community work there is a heavy reliance on a small number of volunteers and often these individuals become over worked. There is a need to recognise these local champions and encourage more succession planning, drawing in skills and perspectives from all ages and sectors of the community.
- But communities working in isolation can only achieve so much – to be successful and sustainable they need the support of external agencies, such as Natural Resources Wales (NRW), local authorities, housing associations, Town and Community Councils, County Voluntary Councils (CVCs) etc. And not all of these organisations prioritise community-led actions. Therefore, securing the consistent and early support of these agencies is essential.
- In a digital age, it is also important to unify, enhance and promote on-line resources and best practice.
- With the end of the Rural Development Programme, and particularly LEADER, there is a significant gap in funds and expertise in tackling the many complex challenges facing rural areas. There is a strong case for a coordinated approach to collecting and analysing information, which in turn, would encourage a more joined-up rural policy framework and support progressing community development, as opposed to short-term, top down interventions, which usually fail to build social capital. The recent establishment of the Rural Wales Local Policy and Innovation Partnership is encouraging, but we would encourage the Welsh Government to build on this and establish a new ‘Rural Observatory’… or at least a mechanism that can inform policy and encourage integration and the sharing of innovative approaches.
Conclusions
The RF Programme highlighted the need for a new relationship between: communities, the voluntary sector, local authorities and the Welsh Government. The challenge will be how top-down policy and funding can better meet the needs of rural places and that, in turn, national and local policy-makers listen to, and learn from rural communities. Based on the experience of the RF Programme, the EAP would urge that the Welsh Government consider how to establish and enhance this new dynamic relationship with rural communities. This should be developed within the context of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, as well as TNLCF’s new Community Fund Strategy 2023 – 2030.
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