« Reply #29 on: Sunday 13 June 21 15:20 BST (UK) »
Many moons ago I was employed as a local learning officer/community developement officer for several rural villages... in one particular village it had been flooded with 'town incomers' moving in, they commute, their children are driven to school so adults/children didn't interact they just wanted to buy a slice of village life and for it to remain the same 'village' but they didn't use the village school, objected to rural smells and lack of 'convienient facilities', so there was little to no connection between villagers and 'incomers'...
So one of the things I did was set up a stand at the local village fete to 'tell a story' of the village its residents of the past and of the day....so old photographs/new photographs of the same view using an 'incomer' photographer to take them, old school registers and taking some people in them and following their life up to date, one name in there was the schools care taker whose family were also long term villagers who was there to tell her own story, items loaned to me like a beautiful beaded bag, so a story about its life, who made it and the eldery lady who it belonged to who lived at the old post office..what I tried to do was connect incomers with villagers by opening up knowledge about each other and the village both 'sides' loved.
It worked very well people were attracted to the objects on loan and the story told by its owner, people learned about the incomers eg the photographer did school photos and village fete photos, an (incomer) events manager worked with the school/parish committee on new events to raise money to support the village, like organised summer caravan camping, setting up and printing rural walking/cycling maps (incomer printer/villager who knew the areas)
Many incomers became villagers which is exactly what was wanted/needed, active in their own community.
Leicestershire:Chamberlain, Dakin, Wilkinson, Moss, Cook, Welland, Dobson, Roper,Palfreman, Squires, Hames, Goddard, Topliss, Twells,Bacon.
Northamps:Sykes, Harris, Rice,Knowles.
Rutland:Clements, Dalby, Osbourne, Durance, Smith,Christian, Royce, Richardson,Oakham, Dewey,Newbold,Cox,Chamberlaine,Brow, Cooper, Bloodworth,Clarke
Durham/Yorks:Woodend, Watson,Parker, Dowser
Suffolk/Norfolk:Groom, Coleman, Kemp, Barnard, Alden,Blomfield,Smith,Howes,Knight,Kett,Fryston
Lincolnshire:Clements, Woodend