Interpreting Rurality – Page 12 – This blog has evolved from a book of the same name. Rurality is interpreted in many ways depending on individual encounters with rural space and this leads to different ways of conceiving the social and economic challenges that rural communities face. The blog represents the personal views of Professor Gary Bosworth, who is a Visiting Professor of Rural Entrepreneurship in Lincoln International Business School and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Northumbria University.

Rural Entrepreneurship Conference

Gary Bosworth / June 22, 2015June 22, 2015 / Economy, Interpreting Rurality, Landscape

Thanks to Anne Smith and Geoff Whittam from Glasgow Caledonian University for organising a great trip to Islay for the 13th Rural Entrepreneurship Conference. Thinking about the challenges of service provision, innovation and enterprise whilst on a remote island raised a number of important issues with a continuing theme concerning the role that local communities play in sustaining their local economies.

Next year the conference moves to Lincoln where social entrepreneurship will be one of our key themes. Other themes will include farming, tourism and the role of technology in rural economies…watch this space for a detailed call for abstracts in the Autumn.

Local musicians entertain the conference

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES — The view from the conference venue

bob — Bob Newbery discussing the entrepreneurial orientation of farmers

Bricktree Gallery

Gary Bosworth / March 24, 2015March 24, 2015 / Economy, Interpreting Rurality

The contrast of rural businesses on view here is highlighted by the photo…a tree surgery with heavy machinery operates alongside the stylish Bricktree Gallery on a picturesque site overlooking the Lincolnshire Wolds just to the North-East of Market Rasen. The Gallery’s owner, Sarah Lamballe, has created several part-time jobs for local students as well as two full time position in the Gallery. Additionally, the letting of a small cottage-apartment and the running of craft classes introduce more people to this beautiful part of Lincolnshire. Despite difficulties of a lack of public transport for workers and a low footfall of tourism, she is exploiting the opportunities of selling over the internet, creating a potentially global market for her supplies and generating revenues that can sustain the physical gallery space for Lincolnshire tourism sector. As part of Market Rasen’s Business Improvement Group initiative to promote retail in the town, Sarah provides a clear example that rural businesses can benefit from working more closely together to promote their area to wider customers and to share knowledge and skills that can boost the potential of the rural economy. After our visit, we can also recommend the adjacent Wold View Tea room for excellent soup and sandwiches!

Skidbrooke Cyder Centre

Gary Bosworth / March 23, 2015March 23, 2015 / Economy

skidbrooke cyder centre — The production and retail here has provided a new use for a classical Lincolnshire barn at the same time and adding a boost to the local economy

Thanks to Guy for showing us his Cyder Centre in the small village of Skidbrooke. It is great to see a new job being created in this relatively remote area of Lincolnshire on the back of a lot of hard work to establish not only a successful apple juice and cider production business but also to establish some new orchards to this part of Lincolnshire. Having sampled from the (very!) dry to the sweet in his cider range, I can certainly recommend them to anyone wanting to try something different from the homogenous brands out there.

Our visit was part of ongoing research to understand the unique attributes of rural business for the forthcoming Rural Entrepreneurship Conference being held in Islay this June.

Home Based Businesses – Working Paper

Gary Bosworth / March 11, 2015June 9, 2015 / Economy, Planning, Society, Uncategorized

In the spirit of collaboration, Bob Newbery and I are pleased to share our conference paper on home-based businesses via the link below. We have mapped 2011 Census data to show the rural urban spread of home-based businesses in England as the basis for ongoing research to better understand their distinct characteristics and challenges.

Gary Bosworth & Newbery, Home Based Businesses

International visitors arrive in Lincoln

Gary Bosworth / March 9, 2015May 18, 2015 / Agriculture, Art and Design, Interpreting Rurality, Landscape

We are very pleased to welcome Hanne Bat Finke from the University of Southern Denmark and Nancy Lissete Morales Diaz from the National Polytechnic Institute of Durango, in Mexico. Both are staying for 3 months, until the end of May.

Hanne has a professional background as a landscape architect, educated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. She also has 15 years experience of running her own landscape studio from a rural district, during which time she has developed a growing interest in the societal perception of landscape values. This led her to study for a PhD at the Danish Centre for Rural Research (University of Southern Denmark) for which she is receiving funding from the Danish Ministry of Housing, Urban and Rural Affairs. During Hanne’s stay in Lincoln, she will be comparing British and Danish approaches to rural development and helping to write an article about rural businesses and their relationships with their local environments and landscapes.

Nancy is completing her Masters degree with a dissertation about improving livelihoods in a community of apple farmers in Mexico. She is applying a sustainable livelihoods and community capitals framework and has been carrying out participatory investigations. As well as learning about new research methodologies, Nancy will be collaborating with Susan Marango to compare ideas about how community groups can engage in sustainable development.

Research updates to follow…