Rural Development

Rural areas and communities have specific characteristics that differentiate them from their urban counterparts. Often isolated and sparsely populated, the infrastructure tends to be less developed while access to key services can be more challenging. Rural development goes beyond the traditional focus of farming, food production, agriculture, and tourism. We understand that the modern rural economy and community is much broader, and the challenges and opportunities your rural communities face are becoming more complex.

At Wavehill we:

Can evaluate and support the development of large scale national and regional rural development programmes and schemes as well as smaller, specialist projects developed by local authorities and third sector organisations. This can help you to demonstrate the value and impact that targeted programmes can have in rural locations across the UK.

Building on our broad sectoral experience and deep knowledge of the challenges facing rural communities, we can help you to build an evidence base to support future funding for your project and to influence policy development in your local community or area.

Rural communities are beautiful places with wonderful natural environments where people live, work and visit. We can support your initiative to enhance local economic and social prosperity across your community. A key part of our work involves assessing how the specific characteristics of rural areas influence projects and programmes across topics as diverse as business support, community regeneration, social services, and housing provision. By combining our deep knowledge around rural communities with our wider research and evaluation experience we can help your project or programme deliver, so that rural communities across the UK can thrive.