NACRE's 75th anniversary

Celebrating 75 years of supporting rural communities in the county

Northamptonshire ACRE is delighted to have reached its 75th anniversary on Monday 26th July 2021 and to celebrate such a milestone and the work the charity has been invovled with over those years, we held a series of online free sessions for anyone with an interest in rural affairs. The programme for the week is available here and the slides, videos and presentations are available to download below.

And of course, no anniversary celebration is complete without a cake! To toast the work of the charity over the last 75 years and look forward to the next, we held a celebration evening on Monday 26th July 2021 at the Hunsbury Hill Centre where current Trustees and staff were able to meet up with previous staff, Trustees and associated members. Not only did we have cake, but we also tested out our very own beer, the Hunsbury Hill Ale, kindly produced by Phipps Brewery. Check out the photos from the evening here.

Why not come along to our Community Festival on Sunday 5th September 2021 to try out the Hunsbury Hill Ale yourself!

ANNIVERSARY WEEK TALKS:

MONDAY 26TH JULY 2021:

SESSION ONE: Looking back at 75 years:

• Chair's opening remarks - Gareth Lugar-Mawson, Chair of Trustees, Northamptonshire ACRE
• Recording of the session including two lovely presentations from Jeffrey Greenwell, Vice President of NACRE and TIm Cawkwell, ex CEO of NACRE.
• Speech from Lord Benyon, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for DEFRA. Lord Benyon speaking about Northamptonshire ACRE's anniversary.

SESSION TWO: Past, present and future:

• The plans for the Hunsbury Hill Centre presented by Richard Hollingum, Trustee Northamptonshire ACRE

TUESDAY 27TH JULY 2021:

SESSION THREE: The importance of village halls in rural life

• Guided tour of Stanwick Village Hall - Rebecca Moody. This is the full video of Stanwick Village Hall. Make sure you stay until the end and listen to the wonderful playing of the young musicians as they show off the hall accoustics and their skills!
• Recording of Village Hall session. This includes a really useful session about whether a hall should become VAT registered or not and looks at 2 community hubs: Down Ampney and Barrowden Village Halls.
• A vety brief history of village halls - Frances Harris, Community Facilities Advisor, Northamptonshire ACRE. Slides used in the recording.

SESSION FOUR: How Good Neighbours can be good friends

• Find out more about Good Neighbour schemes - Claire Yow and Joanna Browning, Good Neighbour Fieldworkers with all the information you might need to consider setting up a scheme in your community. .
• Good Neighbours information leaflet with more details about the schemes

WEDNESDAY 28TH JULY 2021:

SESSION SIX: Natural capital, green infrstructure plans and the planning framework

• Recording of the Natural Capital session
• Natural Capital slides - Elaine O'Leary
• Slides from the Natural Captial pilot workshop in January 2021. Natural Capital Workshop slides - Dr. Jim Roquettte, Natural Capital Solutions.
• Silsoe Green Infrastructure Plan, updated 2018

SESSION SEVEN: Setting up a community orchard

• Setting up a community orchard - Pete Freeman, Stoneleigh Community Cider Orchard.

SESSION NINE: Going green with energy

• Recording of the Going Green session - Harry Mellor, Climate Action - West Northants and John Taylor, Energy Project Manager, Greater South East Energy Hub.
• Slides from Harry and John will be available shortly

THURSDAY 29TH JULY 2021:

SESSION TEN: Rural projects

• Recording of the projects session - Rachel Croft, Education Coordinator Northants for the WEA and Ka Chun Li, DIrector of CommMiniBus
• CommMiniBus video - Ka Chun Li.

SESSION ELEVEN: Making the most of community assets

• Recording of community assets presentation - Chris Cowcher, Head of Policy and Communicatins, Plunkett Foundation
• Plunkett Foundation slides

SESSION TWELVE: Broadband and village halls

• recording of broadband session - David Cadd, Long Buckby Village Hall and Chris Brown, Welford Village Hall

FRIDAY 30TH JULY 2021:

SESSION THIRTEEN: Becoming a resilient community

• Recording of resilient community presentation - Jo Maddams, Emergency Planning Officer

SESSION FOURTEEN: What next for rural communities

• Recording of the 'What Next' session - Richard Quallington, Executive Director of ACRE and Graham Biggs, MBE, Chief Executive Rural Services Network
• Revitalising Rural: Realising the Vision slides from Graham Biggs.