1980s – a decade of increased recognition for rural areas and growth in community support
In 1984, the organisation celebrated its 60th year. Many of the committees it had set-up and run had now become separate organisations including Age Concern Cambridgeshire, the Cambridgeshire Association of Local Councils and the Cambridgeshire Local History Society.
‘Rural Development Areas’ were introduced to boast the rural economic activity in ‘lagging’ rural districts and Huntingdon and Fenland / East Cambridgeshire areas were designated as such.
The organisation acquired its first computer – an ‘Apricot’.
The first-ever edition of the Harvest Newsletter was published in 1981, with this popular quarterly publication continuing to bring rural community news and useful advice/support articles to our members and supporters for the next twenty years.
The first multi-use community centre
Stetchworth Parish Council developed a plan for a multi-purpose village community centre. The Centre received major funding from the Rural Development Commission and East Cambridgeshire District Council as an experimental project providing space for social and sporting activities as well as a community room, a village shop, bath for disabled people and a launderette under one roof. As one of the first multi-purpose community buildings in the country, the building and the rural services delivered from it received much national attention and many have since been modelled on this approach.
Appointment of further Rural Development and Information Officers
Following the greater appreciation of the need for professional help to stimulate voluntary action, further locally based Development and Information Officers were appointed to work from the market towns of Wisbech, Huntingdon, Ramsey and Ely to encourage self-help and the further recruitment of volunteers.
The Community Council published “Cambridgeshire Villages: A Guide to Local Facilities”, its first attempt to record the facilities available in each village.
Village Ventures
The Village Ventures competition was launched to discover the best and most innovative examples of community projects and community self-help in Cambridgeshire. In the first year, winners including the Comberton Help Scheme, Cottenham Toy Library and Needingworth footway build shared £1,300 prize money.
Other competitions we ran in this decade included Village of the Year and Village Shop of the Year.
In 1988, the Development Commission amalgamated with the Council for Small Industries in Rural Areas (CoSIRA), to form the Rural Development Commission its role being to advise Government on matters relating to the economic and social development of rural areas.
