Join us either in person or online as we:

Explore the rich diversity of the rural economy
Showcase national-leading innovation in rural enterprise
Debate the future of the rural North East
Contribute towards solving challenges faced by rural communities.

We are inviting people who are pushing the boundaries of what is rural, considering the realms of what it can be and bringing together those with the potential to scale solutions to deliver innovation in the rural North East of England.

We will start by holding three design sprint workshops focused on issues affecting rural areas of our region, before hearing from:

Margaret Clark CBE – for a national perspective on rural as Chair of the Rural Coalition
Stephen Roper – Director of the Enterprise Research Centre, for a national perspective on rural enterprise
Dinah Jackson – for a regional perspective on rural enterprise including her work with the North East Local Enterprise Partnership

Each of our keynote speakers will bring their unique views on rural enterprise and share with us their recent work and experiences.

After lunch we have the pleasure of being able to deliver a special announcement for energy in the region, before embarking upon a lively debate around the future of the rural North East. Taking part in the debate will be:

Libby Bateman, North Rural Advisor at the Country Land and Business Association – providing a landowner perspective
Jeremy Leggett, Policy Advisor at Action with Communities in Rural England – providing a community perspective
Kate Baucherel, Digital Strategist – providing a future tech approach
Mike Pratt, Chief Executive Officer at Northumberland Wildlife Trust – providing a countryside protection approach

We will then be holding a further three design sprint workshops before we bring the day to a close.

Details of the design sprints are:

Workshop 1 – Working Rural – Creative Industries

How do we level up Northumberland as a creative hub?

This session acknowledges that the wealth of creative business owners across Northumberland could benefit from attracting more wide-ranging audiences and from having a stronger collective platform. We will look at current barriers, opportunities, stakeholders and case studies from elsewhere in a bid to identify what next steps could be taken to level up Northumberland creative businesses across the whole of the county.

Workshop 2 – Connecting Rural – Transport

How do we encourage potential employees to roles where travel options are limited and car-dependent?

Since many organisations in rural Northumberland struggle to recruit employees due to their rural locations, the session will look at case studies from across Northumberland where limited transport options are creating challenges for employment. We will investigate potential solutions and identify employment sites where those solutions can be trialled.

Workshop 3 - Public Services Delivery – Mental Health

How can we effectively tackle rural mental health challenges?

Health professionals are being encouraged to help patients manage and improve their mental health with non-medicalised interventions and personalized care. Social prescribing link roles, care coordinators, and health and wellbeing coaches are employed to support this objective. However, the offer of alternative services is much more limited in rural areas. This workshop aims to investigate this issue and identify innovative and locally appropriate solutions.

Workshop 4 – Working Rural – Rural Women

How do we support women to start, sustain and grow rural businesses?

Women face a specific set of challenges; rural businesses also face a specific set of challenges; when we put these together the issue is compounded. This workshop will explore personas of rural businesswomen and the goals and skillsets they have, in line with the challenges and opportunities they face. The outcomes of this session will contribute to a series of workshops for female-led businesses located within rural Northumberland.

Workshop 5 – Connecting Rural – Industry led collaboration – Changemakers – Tourism

How do we support each other to promote responsible tourism across Northumberland?

Tourism is a key employment sector across the county and brings over 5 million visitors to the region each year. Research with tourism providers has demonstrated commonality in the challenges being faced. This session will enable collaborative solution development, focused on promoting responsible tourism in the county. The workshop pilots a new format aimed at supporting a network of organisations working with a common sector to make positive changes that influence their industry.

Workshop 6 - Public Services Delivery - Social Care delivery

How can we make rural social care more personalised and responsive?

The challenges of delivering effective social care are especially acute in rural areas, with increased costs and logistical complexity. This leads to isolation for both carers and patients. With an ageing rural population, the challenges are amplified, and the need is greater. This workshop aims to identify innovative ways in which more personalised and responsive social care could be delivered in rural areas of the region.

Agenda for those attending in person

08:45 - 09:10 Registration and Welcome

09:30 - 11:00 Tackling key rural issues - interactive workshops

11:00 - 11:30 Morning break

11:30 - 13:00 Series of keynote speakers as detailed above

13:00 - 13:45 Lunch break

13:45 - 14:00 Rural community energy project update

14:00 - 15:00 The future of rural: A Debate

15:00 - 15:15 Afternoon break

15:15 - 17:00 Tackling key rural issues - interactive workshops

17:00 Closing remarks

Agenda for those attending virtually

11:20 - 11:30 Live stream open for virtual attendees

11:30 - 13:00 Series of keynote speakers as detailed above

13:00 - 13:45 Lunch break

13:45 - 14:00 Rural community energy project update

14:00 - 15:00 The future of rural: A Debate

In person places are now full for this event.

However, we will add you to our waiting list and let you know if a space becomes available.

Registration is still available for virtual attendance, please use this link - https://bit.ly/RCC22Virtual

Thank you.

Rural Catalyst Conference 2022 - Hybrid event