The Centre for Hate Studies
Advancing Inclusive Rural Policy and Practice
Towards an Inclusive Countryside: Advancing Inclusive Rural Policy and Practice
The Centre for Hate Studies has partnered with organisations working in and for rural England, including local councils, a health and care system, and national environmental bodies, towards the shared goal of celebrating the joy that the countryside and its natural places can bring, and advancing access to it for more people and communities. Grounded in the Centre's own extensive research on racially motivated hostility in rural England, this work has taken that evidence base into practice in three ways: a short film on lived experiences of rural spaces, brought to a wider audience through this project; an Anti-Racism Statement of Intent co-produced with project partners, setting out their roadmap towards anti-racism; and a policy briefing paper with practical recommendations for rural-facing organisations, produced in collaboration with the University of Leicester's Institute for Policy.
This collaborative work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council’s Impact Acceleration Account [ES/X004732/1].
The Rural Racism Project Film
Produced by Feel Good Films, this short film follows the lives of three minoritised ethnic people living in rural England and features the testimonies of participants who generously shared their stories. The film brings to life key findings from The Rural Racism Project: Towards an Inclusive Countryside, exploring themes of racism, belonging and identity in rural spaces.
Anti-Racism Statements of Intent
The Centre for Hate Studies have worked with partner organisations across the breadth of Rural England to co-produce an Anti-Racism Statement of Intent: a public commitment setting out what an organisation will do so that its workplaces, services and the spaces it stewards are ones where everyone feels safe, welcome and able to take part. Each statement was built around that partner's own evidence, context and existing commitments, exemplifying what anti-racism looks like in practice for rural-facing organisations and strengthening the inclusive work already under way. Each sets out why the work matters to that organisation, what it understands anti-racism to mean, and the commitments it will be held to, with accountable leads and a schedule for reporting progress. Drawing on what was learned across these collaborations, the Centre has developed a generic Statement of Intent for other organisations working in or with rural communities.
The collaboration was guided by three co-developed objectives:
- Build shared understanding and collective capacity
- Embed anti-racism within organisational practice
- Strengthen collaboration, participation and belonging across rural communities
Policy Briefing Paper
Towards an Inclusive Countryside: Prioritising community cohesion in rural England
Building on the findings of the Rural Racism Project, this policy briefing paper focuses on how rural-facing organisations can play a greater role in tackling racialised hostility and supporting community cohesion across rural England.
The work aims to:
- ensure that rural communities are included within national approaches to social cohesion, integration and community safety;
- support rural-facing organisations to identify and address racialised hostility and barriers to participation;
- develop practical, evidence-based approaches to anti-racist practice within rural organisations; and
- strengthen accountability for creating rural environments where people from all backgrounds can participate and feel they belong
Our policy briefing paper, Towards an Inclusive Countryside, sets out recommendations for how these aims can be achieved.
