Cumbria Rural Forum

The Forum started in 1991 as the Cumbria Countryside Forum, providing organisations and individuals with a place to come together and discuss issues of concern to rural life. In 2000 the forum was changed to become the Cumbria Rural Forum.

The Cumbria Rural Forum is about people living in a changing countryside and their experiences, engagement with their communities, and accumulated skills and wisdom. Each year there is a programme of events centred on key issues facing rural communities.  Details of Business Group Members and past events are outlined below.

Briefing Papers from previous Rural Forum Events

Localism in Practise - March 2012

Young People in Rural Isolation - December 2011

Rural Child Poverty - March 2011

Rural Financial Inclusion - March 2010

Community Empowerment - March 2009

Fuel Poverty - December 2008

Cumbria Rural Forum Business Group Members

Des O’Halloran

Des is employed by Natural England, working at national level to promote agri-environment schemes to farmers. His career as an environmentalist has involved a wide variety of roles working for the Nature Conservancy Council, JNCC and English Nature. A geologist by training, Des brings a geological eye to his work on countryside management and a love for landscapes informs a personal commitment to rural places and people. For the last five years Des has chaired the Cumbria Rural Forum, leading the Forum’s Business Group in organising meetings, briefings and influencing activity  to promote the cause of ruralCumbria. Des is keenly aware of the importance of  maintaining hill farming as a future basis for sustainable upland communities, and their way of life. He advocates the need for the environmental sector to take greater account of the needs of upland communities inCumbriaand to put working with those communities at the heart of its work

John Marsh

John is a Policy Officer within the Policy, Planning and Communities Team in the Chief Executive’s Office of Cumbria County Council. His responsibilities have a particular emphasis upon the inclusion and anti-poverty agendas. John manages the County Council’s contract/service level agreement with ACT. Originally from St Helens, John is an experienced local government officer having worked ‘south of the border’ for West Lancashire Borough Council and Lancaster City Council before joining Cumbria County Council in June 2009. Prior to working in local government, he was a seminar tutor and researcher in the History Department at LancasterUniversity, where the late-medieval North West of England was his research speciality.

Jolyon Dodgson

Jolyon has been active in the field of rural affairs in the North West for over 30 years, as Senior Organiser of Council for Small Industries in Rural Areas, then as Regional Director of Country Land & Business Association. Jolyon’s voluntary work has included the post of national Chair of Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) and chair of Cumbria Rural Community Council (Action with Communities inCumbria). He also founded Cumbria Rural Forum. Jolyon was Vice-Chair and Acting Chair of the National Lottery Charities Board for the north west, and Chairman of Awards for All.  Jolyon is President of ACT and also Chair of the Churches’ Rural Forum, Chair of Cumbria Rural Housing Trust and Vice-Chair of the Lakeland Housing Trust, Board member of the Mitre Housing Association, Chair of Governors of his local village school in theLake Districtand a Governor of Myerscough College.

Nick Utting

Nick is Senior Group Secretary with the National Farmers Union covering theNorth Cumbriaarea.  The NFU looks after the interests of 800 farmers who are mostly dairy and livestock producers, and also provide insurance for farmers and the rural community under the banner of the NFU Mutual Insurance Society. He has held this position for almost 40 years and has an excellent team of colleagues and staff within the NFU offices at Rosehill,Carlisle. Nick lives at Watermillock on Ullswater, where his partner Margaret enjoy fell walking, gardening and other country pursuits.

Keith Morgan

Keith left his teaching post in 1980 to set up a small business in Appleby. He has been a Town Councillor since 1983 and an Eden District Councillor since 1991. At various times he has been Town Mayor of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Chairman of Eden District Council, Cumbria Association of Local Councils, Eden Arts and Appleby Primary School Governors as well as representing one or other authority on several other bodies. He retired from his business in 2011, but continues the other interests as the Cumbrian representative on the National Association of Local Councils National Council, a local promoter for Highlights rural touring scheme and continues to have a commitment to the Settle-Carlisle Railway following his high profile involvement in the campaign to block its proposed closure; and the Campaign for Real Ale.

Mervyn Edwards

Mervyn was brought up on an upland farm in North Wales and worked as a government farm adviser in the north ofEnglandfor 42 years before retiring in May 2011.  Initially, he was involved in agri-business, specialising in the development of upland farming. Later he became involved with agri-environment schemes specialising in their application on upland farms.  He is familiar with the make-up of rural communities and the issues they face. Mervyn is the current chair of Cumbria Churches’ Rural Forum which consists of representatives from most of the mainstream Christian denominations. He is also a school governor at a local primary school and enjoys fell walking.

For further information about the Forum, its structure and the work it carries out click here