Welcome to The Arkleton Trust Website

The Arkleton Trust was founded in 1977 “to study new approaches to rural development and education” and “improve understanding between rural policy makers, academics, practitioners and rural people”.

The Trust organises seminars and workshops on matters of rural interest and concern, encourages exchange of experience, and has a series of publications. The Trust itself does not make awards or give grants, but it does administer three small funds which do make specific awards.

Invited 'Friends of Arkleton Trust' and registered awardees and fellows may Login to access additional features on the website.

The Arkleton Trust (‘The Trust’) is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, registration number 275153.

CURRENT INITIATIVES

Recently, the Trust has focussed its activities around key themes of international concern and relevance, using its limited resources to identify and analyse the particular impacts for rural communities.  For the past few years, the Trust has had a programme of activity around the issue of climate change and how rural communities in different parts of the world are affected and are adapting to its impacts.

The Trust is now looking at what issue/issues it should focus on for the next funding period, commencing in 2013.  It has considered several possibilities, including further work on the issue of climate change, in the context of the opportunities this presents for rural communities, or the new area of the role of social networking in rural areas in enabling better communication and breaking down barriers.  However, much work is already being carried out on these issues and both are subjects of a fast moving agenda.  The Trust has not found a clear role or niche for its intervention in either issue.

At the same time, it is aware that there are now other emerging issues, in particular around the important question of the implications for rural development policy and practice of the global economic downturn and the reduction of the role of the State and the increasing reliance on local communities to ‘fend for themselves’, not just in the UK, but more generally. This is an area on which the Trust believes it could usefully add value and should focus in the future.

The Trust therefore, decided to open up the process for identifying future themes, within this broad area of interest, and to invite ideas to help it determine what these might be and where it should focus its efforts.

Expressions of interest were received by January 2012 and a second round of proposals was entered into (for more see here).  The Trustees chose the best proposals to take to its seminar,  held in November 2012.  The final report of the seminar is available here.  Two proposals have been awarded further funds to take then into 2013.  For more general information on seminars click here.