Prince Charles publishes Village Survival Guide featuring ideas for getting the most out of country life

The Prince's Countryside Fund has pulled together local knowledge to compile a practical guide to living in rural areas

To mark the official first day of National Countryside Week, the Prince’s Countryside Fund has launched The Village Survival Guide, a publication all about how to build a strong community in a rural setting.

The book is an extension of the work done by the Fund’s 2018 research, which saw over 3,000 people share the challenges they faced living in rural communities, and ways they found to pull together.

With a forward from comedian Miranda Hart, the guide is able to provide advice and ideas for communities to get the most out of their potential, wherever they live, and includes case histories, checklists and practical advice to tackle some of the barriers which can face those living in rural areas. The book also features sections on ‘Putting the heart into the village’, ‘Getting from A-B’ and ‘Making business work’.

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Prince Charles is quoted himself in the opening pages, from the issue of Country Life he guest-edited last year: ‘It is clear to me that there are huge opportunities to help the countryside and rural people meet the challenges of the future,’ he told Country Life.

‘But we do need to be clear about what we want to achieve, thinking particularly about what will be important to our children and grandchildren. The role of the countryside, with all its diversity and idiosyncrasies, in our national life is too important to be left to chance.’

The Village Survival Guide can be bought or read online at the Prince’s Countryside Fund website.