Action with Communities in Rural England is the national umbrella body of the Rural Community Action Network (RCAN), which operates at national, regional and local level in support of rural communities across the country.
We aim to promote a healthy, vibrant and sustainable rural community sector that is well connected to policy and decision-makers who play a part in delivering this aim.
Our organisational vision is to provide a rural community development centre of expertise that is extensively used by policy makers and practitioners.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has invested in the Rural Community Action Network under a three-year contract, coordinated by ACRE and overseen by the RCAN Steering Group, to deliver strategic advocacy on behalf of rural communities.
ACRE is also recognised for its contribution to third sector policy through its strategic partner status with the Office of the Third Sector, with whom it has a three-five year funded relationship.
ACRE Corporate Plan 2009-2012
ACRE Report and Financial Statements 31 March 2009
ACRE 2009 Annual Review now available
The ACRE 2009 Annual Review is now available to view on the ACRE website. The Review focuses on ACRE's work on national advocacy, partnerships and programme management. Setting out the clear 'added value' of the network that connects ACRE to RCAN members, it covers the wide range of initiatives and work programmes across England. This insight demonstrates the effectiveness of collaborative working within ACRE and RCAN with the resulting positive impact at the grass root community level.
Click on the link to download an e-version of the 2009 ACRE Annual Review |
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ACRE Annual Review 2008
ACRE aspires to develop and maintain effective governance through its Board of Trustees, while maintaining strong relationships with member RCCs, which provide input to ACRE’s governance through trustee representation. The organisation is accountable to both its members and other stakeholders through its Corporate Plan, annual performance assessments and the fulfilment of formal external regulatory requirements. Core tasks cover the strategic management of ACRE, as well as corporate responsibilities and accountability. Achievements include:
- Annual general meeting
- Regular board and sub-committee meetings
- ACRE trustee awaydays to discuss strategy.
The ACRE board of trustees consists of a chair, a treasurer and a maximum of eight trustees selected by the Rural Community Action Network. A further six trustees can be co-opted by the board to provide skills appropriate to ACRE’s work focus.
There are two sub-committees of the board which take responsibility for Finance & Resources and Marketing & Communication.
Sue Shaw – Chair
Sue Shaw was co-opted to the ACRE board in February 2007. Sue is a self-employed community development facilitator, trainer and researcher. Other voluntary appointments include; Chair of the Community Development Exchange and trustee of Northumberland Community Development Network.
Pat Holtom - Vice Chair
Pat Holtom was co-opted to the ACRE board in 2006. Pat has worked extensively in both the public and private sector in rural areas and was Rural Development Officer for Norfolk County Council for seven years, developing social, environmental, community, training and economic projects in the Norfolk Rural Priority Areas. A former East of England Regional Development Agency Board Member with a special remit for rural issues, she is currently Vice Chair of the East of England Regional Rural Affairs Forum and heads up the Market Towns East Sub Group as well as being Chair of the Norfolk Rural Forum which she set up in 2006. She is now a freelance rural consultant advising on bid writing, evaluation and monitoring mainly for European funding programmes, delivering training and facilitating at workshops etc.
John Hazelwood –Treasurer
John Hazelwood was elected to the ACRE board in 2001 and appointed as ACRE’s Treasurer at the AGM in November 2007. He is currently Chairman of Gloucestershire Rural Community Council and of the South West ACRE Network (SWAN). John was a director of IiP (UK) Ltd, a governor and chairman of the Audit Committee of the University of the West of England, Deputy Chairman and Chairman of Audit for the Design Council and Deputy Chairman of Business Link Advisory Accreditation Board.
David Scudamore - East Midlands region trustee
David Scudamore was elected to the ACRE board in May 2002. He is currently Chair of Northamptonshire ACRE having served on its board since 1992. David was employed by Northamptonshire County Council, as a Community and Environment Officer, up until his retirement in 1998.
David Spreadbury - Eastern region trustee
David Spreadbury has been a member of Cambridgeshire ACRE for fifteen years and was chairman from 1998 to 2006. Over that time he was also a member of the Eastern region RCC Group and sometime chairman. He became the Eastern region representative on the ACRE board in November 2007. His career was in Educational Administration and he was for many years a member of the local Health Authority.
Jane Grant - South West region trustee
Jane Grant was elected to the ACRE board in November 2007. She is currently Chair of Community First, Wiltshire and a board member of SWAN. Jane has lived in Wiltshire for over forty years and has been a school governor and a parish councillor for over twenty years.
Richard Priest – South East region trustee
Richard was elected to the ACRE Board in November 2009. He has been a trustee of the Isle of Wight RCC for around 10 years and involved with SERCC and ACRE for some of this time, as well as serving on the Island’s Strategic Partnership. He is also a school governor, town councillor, housing association trustee and former chair and trustee of a drugs/alcohol rehabilitation charity. Richard is also manager of the Riverside Centre, recipient of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services, European Social Firm of 2008 and developing as a Hub for the voluntary sector on the Island in partnership with other agencies.
Jan Worters MBE– North East region trustee
Jan started work in the voluntary sector with Tyneside Housing Aid Centre in 1979 and she worked for Durham Rural Community Council for 10 years before moving to North Tyneside Voluntary Organisations Development Agency (VODA) in 1996, becoming Chief Officer in 1997. Jan’s vast experience includes: Chair, North Tyneside Strategic Partnership, a member of North Tyneside @ Work (SRB) Board, North Tyneside Challenge Board and vice chair of the Voluntary Organisations Network North East. She also played an active role on the Invest 2006 Campaign and the resulting Regional Task Force which was established by Government Office North East. When Jan retired in 2009 she was deputy chair of the Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, chair of Tyne & Wear Infrastructure Consortium, member of the Regional Strategic Third Sector Forum and Regional Infrastructure Development Group, and member of NTSP Executive. In 2007 Jan was awarded an MBE for services to the community in the North East and since retirement has become a director of Durham Rural Community Council.
Janet Thornton – Yorkshire & Humber region trustee
Janet was elected to the ACRE Board in November 2009. She has been a trustee for Rural Action Yorkshire since 2005 and was a co-Vice chair from 2007 – 2009. She sits on the Policy and Resources Committee and chaired the Governance Group for three years. Janet is the Trustee Quality Standards Champion and has completed the ACRE training as a Peer Reviewer for levels 1 and 2. She is a member of the West Yorkshire Rural Partnership and attends the Y & H Rural Affairs Forum.
David Voysey – West Midlands region trustee
David was elected to the ACRE Board in November 2009. David’s community activity includes: Alveley Parish Councillor since 1983, an Independent District Councillor for Bridgnorth, Independent Group representative on the West Midlands LGA Improvement & Development Management Portfolio Group and the West Midlands Provincial Council. He regularly sat on the WMLGA’s Employment Disputes Committee and on the IDeA’s Performance & Support Team for Local Authorities. David continues to be an assessor on the Audit Commission accredited West Midlands Local Government Association’s Peer Assessment Scheme, where since May 2003 he has participated in ten District Council CPA Peer Assessments. For many years David was Chairman of Alveley Village Hall’s Management Committee and is currently a Holding Trustee. He has been the Bridgnorth area’s representative on the Community Council of Shropshire’s Village Hall’s Working Group, which gives advice and guidance to local village hall committees.
Keith Harrison - Co-opted trustee
Keith Harrison was co-opted to the ACRE board in February 2007. Keith was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Action with Communities in Rural Kent in May 2006. Keith’s previous employment experience includes: Management of the Somerset Levels & Moors LEADER+ Programme and Rural Community Fieldworker for Gloucestershire Rural Community Council.
Crispin Moor – Co-opted trustee
Crispin Moor was co-opted to the ACRE board in January 2007. Crispin is currently Director of the Commission for Rural Communities Whitehall office. Previous employment includes, Director of Rural Expertise at CRC and work on local governance and housing within the Countryside Agency.
Richard Quallington - Co-opted trustee
Richard Quallington was co-opted to the ACRE board in May 2006. He is the Chief Executive of Community First in Herefordshire & Worcestershire. Richard’s voluntary appointments include; Chair, Regional Action West Midlands (RAWM) and board member of Hereford & Worcester Chamber of Commerce.
Chris Shaw - North West trustee
Chris Shaw was newly appointed as the North West region trustee on the ACRE Board in November 2008. A dairy farmer for over 40 years, Chris built a business from small beginnings into a £6m enterprise. He has wide committee experience with parish councils, youth organisations, community and environmental work, which included being the former Chairman of Plumley Parish Council, serving as the Cheshire County Chairman of the NFU. Chris was also a former member of the Cheshire Community Action main Executive Committee for many years. He is currently a member of: Cheshire Rural Partnership Strategic Board; Chairman of the Approvals Group of the Cheshire Enterprise (Rural Recovery Programme); Trustee of Cheshire Landscape Trust; Chairman of Cheshire Rural Chaplains Management Group and Chairman of NWRCC (North West Rural Community Councils).
ACRE
Somerford Court
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Tel: 01285 653477
Fax: 01285 654537
acre@acre.org.uk
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