Learning from good practice

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Problems associated with rural life are rarely totally unique and there's often no need to re-invent the wheel when it comes to solving them. There's every chance that a group in the next village / Caithness / the Borders / Cornwall /Finland / New Zealand has tackled a similar obstacle. And we have the most amazing research tool at our fingertips - the internet!

Before you write your project plan, find out as much as you can about issues in other areas, and the innovative approaches groups have taken to solve them. Often you can contact groups by email or via their website to save a long and expensive trip.

Many organisations hold databases and case studies to showcase excellent project examples, such as:

SLCVO http://www.slcvo.org.uk/local-projects/index.html

commission for rural communities http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk//projects/bestpractice
rural gateway http://www.ruralgateway.org.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=1096

New Zealand community net aotearoa http://www.community.net.nz/casestudies/

Some of the main grant giving bodies hold information on projects they have funded, e.g.

UK LEADER+ http://www.ukleader.org.uk/ and click on services / publications

Big Lottery http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/funding-uk

Awards for All grants search http://www.awardsforallgrants.org.uk:8080/a4a-search

And here are some examples from other areas:

Cornwall community foundation http://www.cornwallfoundation.com/making_a_difference/case_studies.htm

New Zealand community net http://www.community.net.nz/casestudies

Happy Researching!

Please post your comments on websites you use to find out information, or actual projects you think are outstanding examples of community action.