This event, organised to reinvigorate our approach to rural proofing in Devon, proved highly successful with 23 people attending from a range of different organisations.

Tony Williamson, Head of Rural Mainstreaming Policy at DEFRA, gave an overview of the rural proofing procedures used in central Government and how it is the responsibility of all departments to undertake rural proofing when creating a new policy or strategy.

Crispin Moor, Executive Director at the Commission for Rural Communities, then gave a brief overview of the recently launched rural proofing toolkit, before talking about the opportunities for local engagement in rural proofing.

Philip Wagstaff, Chair of the DRN, then talked more specifically about issues, challenges and opportunities in Devon.

A fuller summary of the event, including a copy of the PowerPoint slides can be found on the Rural Proofing page of this website website, along with the analysis of the feedback received.