Research & Consultancy

Action in rural Sussex undertakes a range of consultancy functions with the ultimate aim of providing specialist services to stakeholders seeking a greater understanding of rural issues and to communities that require expert advice and guidance. By operating these services, Action in rural Sussex seeks to inform those in the public policy arena about the needs of rural communities and the implications of their decisions, whilst also supporting individual communities in the gathering their own evidence and information.

AirS also uses the findings from its research as the basis for evidence-based contributions to national, regional and local policy development, to analyse the effects of policy implementation and in identifying how and where policy responses may be required to assist rural areas.     

What consultancy services do we offer?

Action in rural Sussex offers a wide range of consultancy services which are all accessible to public, voluntary and community sector organisations. These services can be tailored to meet the clients needs.

Rural Proofing - Action in rural Sussex has assisted many organisations across Sussex and further afield in undertaking rural proofing. It also has experience of integrating rural proofing best practice into an organisations existing processes and structures. Understanding rural needs can be tricky, particularly when determining the implications of public policy on them. We provide a comprehensive range of products to assist with this, ranging from one-to-one discussions through to organisational training events.

Event and Meeting Facilitation  - Organising and running an event can often prove to be stressful and AirS can provide advice and guidance on how this can be achieved successfully. Alternatively, AirS staff can be employed to facilitate and guide meetings on your behalf. This can also be used in conjunction with meeting rooms which can be hired on an hourly basis.

Survey Design - Designing surveys and questionnaires in such a way that they gather the information required can often prove to be a time-consuming and difficult process. AirS has a highly experienced team of staff who can offer a wide array of advice and guidance on the development of surveys and their implementation. This service is commonly used in conjunction with our event facilitation and data analysis offers by communities when developing their community-led plans.  

Evidence Gathering - Obtaining information and data for funding bids or to support the development of particular projects or policies is often complicated, particularly if the information needs to be rural specific. AirS has extensive expertise capable of providing a wide range of advice on where information may be obtained and in certain circumstances it can provide rural-specific information. 

Data Analysis - Analysing data, particularly that generated by surveys and questionnaires can be a long and rawn out process. Specialist support can be sought from AirS to assist in this process, although it is often provided in conjunction with other services such as designing or undertaking a survey.  

For further information on potential projects please contact the staff listed below:

Teresa Gittins, Head of Strategy and Communications
Tel: (01273) 405442 Email: teresa.gittins@ruralsussex.org.uk

Simon Kiley, Research and Policy Officer
Tel: (01273) 405451 Email: simon.kiley@ruralsussex.org.uk

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