The Department for Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs has commissioned and funded Rural Community Network [RCN] to explore the lived experiences of rural communities across Northern Ireland in responding to major crises and to assess their preparedness for future events, with a view to informing risk‑based contingency planning and community‑led resilience.

RCN uses the NISRA definition of “rural” and that is Communities with a population of 5000 people or less, or, open countryside. If your community group is located in an area outside of this definition but it services a rural area, you also meet the eligibility criteria. 

RCN wishes to gather the thoughts and experiences of people from rural communities from across Northern Ireland and would really appreciate if you could take 15 - 20 minutes to complete the survey. Please respond to questions in relation to the past 2 - 3 years so that information remains current, actionable, and reflective of recent trends, policies, resources and societal contexts. Your responses are anonymous and will collectively inform an independent, objective piece of research.

By way of thanks, those completing the survey can enter a draw for a £100 One4all gift card to be used for the benefit of your local community / community group. 

For more project detail please click on the following link

 Strengthening Rural Community Preparedness in Northern Ireland

Any questions, please contact Samantha Gallagher, RCN Policy & Research Manager  - samantha@ruralcommunitynetwork.org