Rural Community Network

On 19th December, the Executive agreed the Draft Budget for 2025-26. Departments will now consider how best to deliver their priorities within the funding envelopes which this Draft Budget provides. A vital part of this is the consultation carried out by individual departments in line with their Equality Schemes. These departmental consultations, along with the overarching Department of Finance consultation, will be used to inform a final Budget in advance of the new financial year. RCN will be hosting a Rural Consultation Event in conjunction with Department of Finance on 13 March 2025 at 11am. If you are interested in attending, please contact kelly@ruralcommunitynetwork.org for a link.

Connecting Community and Tourism This community focused regenerative tourism learning journey focuses on how tourism can bring real benefit to your rural community. We discuss how building a strategy, vision and leaning into the unique stories and heritage of your area can raise your position as a tourist destination. Combining workshop learning, a walk and talk around Belleek village, alongside the development of a tangible action plan to begin your regenerative tourism story, our aim for this day is to bring you inspiration, learning and action. Facilitated by Teresa O'Loughlin think6 Tourism and Marketing Consultant, you will benefit from her practical yet creative approach to regenerative tourism. 📅Saturday 8th March 2025 🕰️Time - 11-00am - 4.30pm 🏚️Venue - Shen House Cliff Road – Belleek, Co Fermanagh Lunch will be provided. Limited spaces so booking is essential Book here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eYG4knz6

Digital Folklore, Stories and Mapping Programme Calling rural communities! Are you interested in folklore, oral history, local customs and traditions? We are teaming up with Michael Fortune (from folklore.ie) to deliver an online programme for rural communities in Northern Ireland.
 This 5 week programme looks at the use of digital skills in the recording, sharing and research of folkloric topics and stories as well as digital map making and field/placename recording. - The course is FREE and delivered via Zoom (except the last session which will be in person at the Rural Community Network in Cookstown. Limited spaces and booking is essential. Dates 20th March - 7pm - 9pm 27th March - 7pm - 9pm 3rd April 7pm - 9pm 10th April 7pm - 9pm 17th April 7pm - 9pm (at Rural Community Network, Cookstown) To book a space, go to this link - https://lnkd.in/eFG3GUsZ The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Rural Community Network is pleased to be a part of the Anti-Poverty Strategy Group. With one in five people living in poverty in Northern Ireland and one in four children it deeply concerning the toll it is taking on our rural communities. Our Policy and Public Affairs Officer spoke at the Stormont Launch Event 12th February 2025 where she stated: “Rural poverty is more than just financial struggle. It’s about not having the right resources and services to lift people out of hardship. Over the years, cuts to public spending and centralizing services in cities have left rural communities with fewer options. People are struggling to get their basic needs met, like healthcare, education, and employment, all because the support simply isn’t there.” We want to see an Anti-Poverty Strategy that can help to eradicate poverty at every stage of life with no further delay from the Northern Ireland Executive.

Connecting Community and Tourism This community focused regenerative tourism learning journey focuses on how tourism can bring real benefit to your rural community. We discuss how building a strategy, vision and leaning into the unique stories and heritage of your area can raise your position as a tourist destination. Combining workshop learning, a walk and talk around Belleek village, alongside the development of a tangible action plan to begin your regenerative tourism story, our aim for this day is to bring you inspiration, learning and action. Facilitated by Teresa O'Loughlin think6 Tourism and Marketing Consultant, you will benefit from her practical yet creative approach to regenerative tourism. 📅Saturday 8th March 2025 🕰️Time - 11-00am - 4.30pm 🏚️ Venue - Shen House Cliff Road – Belleek, Co Fermanagh Lunch will be provided. Limited spaces so booking is essential. Book here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eYG4knz6

RCN is delighted to welcome Ronan Convery from the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland to RCN on Thursday 27th February at 11am. The Consumer Council can help you with information and advice on energy costs, budgeting with household bills, travel rights, scams, and shopping safely online. They provide free, independent support and advice for all local consumers and businesses and investigate complaints about energy, water, transport, and postal services. Places are limited. When: Thursday 27th February 2025, 11am – 1pm Where: Rural Community Network, Cookstown To Register: https://lnkd.in/ekC_yJYW

Positive Engagement at our Rural Consultation Event on a New Fuel Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland. We discussed this Strategy needing to be people and solution focused, how we make best use of our rural infrastructure, how we value the Community and Voluntary Sector and Advice Sector and a serious need for a joined-up approach to tackling poverty in Northern Ireland. We also raised concerns about the budget attached to this Strategy, about launching this Strategy before the overarching Anti-Poverty Strategy, lack of reference to transport as a serious contributor to rural poverty (re access to services) and lack of income to address fuel poverty. Thank you to Department for Communities and to the wide-ranging rural groups who took the time out of their busy schedules to engage on this important topic.

I had a great time today. Instead of my usual Excel training, which I absolutely love, I had the pleasure of introducing these very enthusiastic participants to how user-friendly Canva is as an online graphic design tool. A big thank you to Rural Community Network for offering me the opportunity to deliver this very enjoyable training.

The Department of Health is consulting on the future of our hospital network in Northern Ireland. They advise us: “Balanced by what we can afford, we are committed to deliver for Northern Ireland’s citizens the right treatment in the right place, at the right time”. But what does this look like rurally? RCN want to ensure your Rural Voice is heard during this process. We are therefore co-hosting a Rural Consultation Event with the Department of Health on 7th February 2025 at 11am. This will be in our office in Cookstown or online via Zoom. Light refreshments will be provided to those who attend. You can sign up for the event here: https://lnkd.in/enS_B4c4

Free anti-hate crime training taking place on Wednesday 5th February in our offices in Cookstown at 10am. This is really useful and interesting training and given the issues that many communities are facing could be really beneficial to empower and upskill community workers and volunteers. Contact kelly@ruralcommunitynetwork.org to RSVP.