The rural West Midlands is ahead of the game following latest Rural Report

The latest countryside report by the Government’s Rural Advocate has been welcomed by the support body dedicated to boosting the fortunes of Shropshire, Herefordshire and rural Worcestershire.

The Rural Regeneration Zone (RRZ), the only one of its kind in the UK, welcomes Dr Burgess’ recent findings, but believes the three counties are well positioned when it comes to much needed improvements to broadband access, identifying training needs and cultivating employment opportunities.

By combining clear strategy with on-the-ground support, the Advantage West Midlands-funded organisation has been responsible for developing a range of innovative programmes designed to help villages and market towns develop thriving economies, improve access to crucial services, address social inclusion and embrace environmental excellence.

As a result of this approach, more than £150m of public and private sector funding has been directed into rural areas over the past 6 years, assisting more than 1700 businesses and safeguarding or creating more than 2000 jobs across the sub region.

Peter Pawsey, Chairman of the Rural Regeneration Zone, added his support.

“The global downturn has put even greater pressure on rural areas and exacerbated a lot of the existing issues we had identified and had been finding solutions for.

“Retaining young people in the countryside has always been a challenge and it will only become more difficult as the growth of the internet continues to fuel the demand for immediate information in both our social and business lives.”

He continued: “The good news for Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire is that the Zone has been delivering support to meet many of these challenges for over six years.

“This has resulted in a host of innovative programmes, such as the Nexus Community Grant Scheme and the network of Multi-use Facilities that house numerous essential services all in one place.”

The RRZ has an enviable track record in working with young people and can list a range of specific projects, including Homegrown (which provides job relevant mentoring and coaching) and the Honey Pot in Bromyard that uses a former shop to provide young people with valuable communication skills and an insight into the world of work.

It is also helping to encourage start-ups and young companies through its Enterprise Centre Network, which comprises dedicated facilities at Hereford, Ludlow, Leominster and Shrewsbury.

In total, more than 100 companies are already utilising this state-of-the-art space, creating hundreds of job opportunities.

“It is all well and good training our young people, but without high value jobs locally they will simply move elsewhere and probably never return,” continued Peter.

“The same is true in attracting young people and other entrepreneurs to establish and build their businesses within this beautiful rural area. We do have some notable successes, such as Premier Medical, who now employ some 300 staff from their base on Ludlow Eco Park - many of whom are young people working in a high-tech environment.

“That is why we’ve invested significantly in encouraging enterprise in all its different guises, including home-based entrepreneurs through the unique Enterprise HQ hub in Coalport.

“We’ve also had some major successes in terms of boosting internet access and only last month we saw Hereford’s Rotherwas Estate benefit from new provision that offers 4Mb, 8Mb and 20Mb broadband services.”

Dr Burgess is no stranger to the work of the Rural Regeneration Zone having completed a fact finding tour last year and featuring as a keynote speaker at its Annual Conference.

The Rural Advocate’s visit took in an expanding micro brewery, an enterprise centre, the Craven Arms Multi-Use facility and the impressive Ludlow Food Centre.

At the time he concluded: “I have been particularly impressed by the work of the RRZ and believe its approach to rural regeneration is a model of good practice.

“The organisation has developed a strategy specifically for rural areas and this could be replicated in other parts of the country to make a positive difference to local lives.”