Rural Investment Summit Held on September, 11th

On Friday, September 11th, West Midlands and East Midlands Development Agency and the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) organised a specialised Investment Summit, which was attended by leading business representatives and rural specialists. The major purpose of the Summit was to understand the impact that the economic downturn had on rural British areas and to draw significant investment funds into rural England as, according to Summit’s delegates (the number of which was over 60), rural economies need support and finance. Let us remind that last year Dr. Stuart Burgess, who takes the post of Government’s Rural Advocate and Chairman of the Commission for Rural Communities, released a report to UK Prime Minister, in which he urged the Government to support the potential of rural lands and economies of England. The Summit, held last Friday, was the third meeting held in the framework of Government’s work on the issue. Commenting on the situation, Mr. Stuart Burgess said that although rural economies and businesses do represent a vital part of the British economy as whole, they are oftentimes ignored when government policies and support packages are being planned. That is why, the major aim of the Commission for Rural Communities and representatives of rural business is to draw public attention to the rural sector by brining leading and most influential “rural practitioners” together at summits, which were and will be organised in 2009. The summits that have already been held include: Innovation Summit (5 February 2009), Inspiration and Leadership Summit (30 June 2009), and Investment Summit (11 September 2009). The one that is still to be held is Empowerment Summit. Mr. Burgess also added that the CRC wants the rural practitioners not only to finance the rural economies but also to strengthen and develop them so that they recover from the recession as soon as possible and so that rural employees can enjoy secure jobs. The summit, which was held on September 11th in Dunchurch, Warwickshire featured the presentations made by such business leaders as Mark Tinsley (PC Tinsley) and Heather Gorringe (Wiggly Wigglers) The Empowerment Summit is to be held later this year (supposedly, in November) in Somerset.