TV personality Jimmy Doherty is joining forces with Rachel’s Organic founder Rachel Rowlands and the Carnegie UK Trust to recognise unsung rural champions across the country. The champions – or Rural Sparks - will be found through a widespread search for excellence, run by Carnegie. The Rural Sparks mission has been launched to recognise the rural champions who have helped transform the areas where they live. The panel is completed by the deputy editor of Regeneration and Renewal magazine, Ben Walker, Carnegie’s rural director Kate Braithwaite and former director of the Commission for Rural Communities, Margaret Clark. Nominations for Rural Sparks are invited from anyone who considers themselves or someone they know to have achieved something remarkable within their rural community. The types of initiatives the assessment panel may consider include community-run renewable energy schemes; projects promoting local produce; or residents who set up their own Community Land Trust. Application forms are available from http://rural.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/. Carnegie will select five top Rural Sparks – one each from Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as ten runners up. Top Rural Sparks will receive a contribution towards their project and will be included in a new book, Carnegie’s compendium of rural innovation, which will be published in 2009.

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18 November 2008
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