Rural communities enlivened by faith contribution, says new report

-24/10/06

Vibrant r


Rural communities enlivened by faith contribution, says new report

-24/10/06

Vibrant rural communities are sustained and enhanced by the informal and individual actions of people of faith, according to research published last week. Often small and unseen actions benefit the whole community, it argues. The report has been welcomed by the government.

“It is the quality of the relationships that make a rural place really vibrant,” claimed Dr Jill Hopkinson, National Rural Officer for the Church of England, “and this contributes to breaking down barriers between groups in rural places.”

Policy makers in government and activists in the voluntary and community sectors need to recognise and acknowledge the contribution of people of faith to rural community vibrancy, according to the research, which was carried out by the Coventry University Applied Research Centre for Sustainable Regeneration, in partnership with the Arthur Rank Centre and the Church of England.

“The challenge is to learn more about faith and to work more co-operatively,” says Faith in Rural Communities: Contributions of Social Capital to Community Vibrancy, the report from the study, which was supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

“People who attend church regularly,” says the report, “make a significant contribution to community vibrancy through their engagement in church based activities and their role in the village.”

Nevertheless, it admits that there are limits to this contribution. In some places churchgoers are older village residents. They may be less willing to acknowledge issues of exclusion in their communities. Some are sceptical about local government but more enthusiastic about parish councils.

The report says: “Responses to rural issues, concerning quality of life, care in the community, affordable housing, village schools, community meeting space, the desire for democratic renewal and community empowerment, must not ignore the contribution and the critique of people of faith.”

The presence of churches and chapels in nearly every settlement, together with the work of ministers, play a crucial if often taken for granted role in the community.

The report quotes one participant as saying: “The building doesnít make the church but what happens in it.”

The Bishop of Exeter, Chair of the Church of Englandís Rural Strategy Group within General Synod, echoes this point, declaring: “People of faith are a particularly vocal, confident and able group. They provide a wonderful amount of mutual support and these relationships extend far into the whole community, crossing social barriers and groups. People of faith have the motivation to make a difference to rural communities, and without them these places would not be as vibrant as they are.”

Coventry University studied five locations across England: Acle in Norfolk, Austwick and Clapham in Yorkshire, Bridge Sollars in Herefordshire, Fence in Lancashire and Iddesleigh in Devon. The researchers carried out interviews to understand the faith communities and identify issues of local concern. They cross checked the results through interviews with people outside the faith communities.

One such interviewee commented that “the vast majority who are involved in the church keep this a throbbing and thriving community and if they werenít here it would be dire. They are the ones with the motivation to do things in the village because they want people involved. They are the ones who push and drive and build the community. Without it the village would be dead really.”

Researcher, Professor Richard Farnell comments: “The evidence from the five case studies, and the six villages they contain, is clear. Rural Christian communities make a substantial contribution to the vibrancy of their villages. There needs to be a wider recognition of it amongst all stakeholders, including the faith communities themselves. This message is relevant for government departments, regional agencies, local authorities and for the voluntary and community sectors.”

Welcoming the report, Rural Affairs Minister, Barry Gardiner, said: ìThe Governmentís vision of sustainable rural communities includes a living and working countryside in which local people have the capacity to improve and strengthen their local community, environment and economy. This is a useful piece of research which highlights the contribution of faith communities toward making this vision a reality across the country.î


Rural communities enlivened by faith contribution, says new report

-24/10/06

Vibrant rural communities are sustained and enhanced by the informal and individual actions of people of faith, according to research published last week. Often small and unseen actions benefit the whole community, it argues. The report has been welcomed by the government.

“It is the quality of the relationships that make a rural place really vibrant,” claimed Dr Jill Hopkinson, National Rural Officer for the Church of England, “and this contributes to breaking down barriers between groups in rural places.”

Policy makers in government and activists in the voluntary and community sectors need to recognise and acknowledge the contribution of people of faith to rural community vibrancy, according to the research, which was carried out by the Coventry University Applied Research Centre for Sustainable Regeneration, in partnership with the Arthur Rank Centre and the Church of England.

“The challenge is to learn more about faith and to work more co-operatively,” says Faith in Rural Communities: Contributions of Social Capital to Community Vibrancy, the report from the study, which was supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

“People who attend church regularly,” says the report, “make a significant contribution to community vibrancy through their engagement in church based activities and their role in the village.”

Nevertheless, it admits that there are limits to this contribution. In some places churchgoers are older village residents. They may be less willing to acknowledge issues of exclusion in their communities. Some are sceptical about local government but more enthusiastic about parish councils.

The report says: “Responses to rural issues, concerning quality of life, care in the community, affordable housing, village schools, community meeting space, the desire for democratic renewal and community empowerment, must not ignore the contribution and the critique of people of faith.”

The presence of churches and chapels in nearly every settlement, together with the work of ministers, play a crucial if often taken for granted role in the community.

The report quotes one participant as saying: “The building doesnít make the church but what happens in it.”

The Bishop of Exeter, Chair of the Church of Englandís Rural Strategy Group within General Synod, echoes this point, declaring: “People of faith are a particularly vocal, confident and able group. They provide a wonderful amount of mutual support and these relationships extend far into the whole community, crossing social barriers and groups. People of faith have the motivation to make a difference to rural communities, and without them these places would not be as vibrant as they are.”

Coventry University studied five locations across England: Acle in Norfolk, Austwick and Clapham in Yorkshire, Bridge Sollars in Herefordshire, Fence in Lancashire and Iddesleigh in Devon. The researchers carried out interviews to understand the faith communities and identify issues of local concern. They cross checked the results through interviews with people outside the faith communities.

One such interviewee commented that “the vast majority who are involved in the church keep this a throbbing and thriving community and if they werenít here it would be dire. They are the ones with the motivation to do things in the village because they want people involved. They are the ones who push and drive and build the community. Without it the village would be dead really.”

Researcher, Professor Richard Farnell comments: “The evidence from the five case studies, and the six villages they contain, is clear. Rural Christian communities make a substantial contribution to the vibrancy of their villages. There needs to be a wider recognition of it amongst all stakeholders, including the faith communities themselves. This message is relevant for government departments, regional agencies, local authorities and for the voluntary and community sectors.”

Welcoming the report, Rural Affairs Minister, Barry Gardiner, said: ìThe Governmentís vision of sustainable rural communities includes a living and working countryside in which local people have the capacity to improve and strengthen their local community, environment and economy. This is a useful piece of research which highlights the contribution of faith communities toward making this vision a reality across the country.î