Trustees

Margaret has been involved in rural policy and rural development issues for most of her career. In her present job, she has particular responsibility for the Agency's work in helping the Government to build in a rural dimension to policy and practice (known as 'rural proofing'), and for work on rural services, housing, social exclusion, local governance, transport and community action. She also has responsibility for overseeing the work of the Agency's South East and London, East of England and East Midlands regions. Prior to the establishment of the Countryside Agency, she was the Director of Policy at the Rural Development Commission and was involved in socio-economic policy and research work on various rural issues, including the rural economy, small firms and rural regeneration. Margaret was closely involved in the development of the Government's Rural White Paper, published in November 2000. She represents the Agency in the Community's Rural Action leadership team and the Prince of Wales' Rural Revival Initiative and is on the board of Hastoe Housing Association. Finally, she represents the UK on the OECD's Working Party on Territorial Policy in Rural Areas and will take over the Chair of the group in January 2002.

Malcolm is Professor of Rural Community Development in the Countryside & Community Research Unit of Cheltenham and Gloucester University. From 1987 to 1993 he was Director of ACRE, the national association of England's Rural Community Councils and prior to that Dean of the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. His current post at Cheltenham is mainly one of research and consultancy, broadly in the field of 'rural development and social issues'. Malcolm has just completed a major EU study of rural partnerships.

These appointments followed the death of Sir Kenneth Alexander, and the retirement of one of our Founding Trustees, Arthur Bell. Sir Kenneth gave the Second Arkleton Lecture (on rural education, training and development) in 1979 when he was Chairman of the Highlands and Islands Development Board. He was previously a lecturer and later Professor of Economics, first at Aberdeen University and later at Strathclyde. After his time at the HIDB he became Vice-Chancellor of Stirling University and then Chancellor of Aberdeen University. Ken was an original thinker, innovative, and highly articulate. When with the HIDB he was responsible for the introduction of the Community Co-operative Scheme, Land Reform proposals (which certainly influenced the more recent debates in Scotland), and decentralisation of the Board's staffing and management structure, among other things. The Trust was fortunate indeed to have had the benefit of Ken's advice as a Trustee, as well as his friendship and support, from the late 1980's. He will be sorely missed.

Arthur Bell was one of the first Trustees appointed in 1977. Arthur was a local businessman in Langholm, the nearest town to the estate of 'Arkleton' where the Trust was founded, and from whence it took its name. His family owned a well known Tweed mill, then synonymous with quality, and exporting world-wide. He supports many local causes, and gave unstinting and loyal support to the Trust for nearly a quarter of a century, missing only one Trustees meeting. Arthur did an immense amount of work in the early years in both helping to host the Seminars and in introducing some of our overseas delegates to Langholm and its people. We all thank Arthur for his unswerving loyalty over the years. We will miss his cheerful, practical and positive presence, and wish him well in his 'retirement'.

Caroline Higgs continues to represent the Trustees on the International Advisory Committee of The Arkleton Centre for Rural Development Research at the University of Aberdeen, with which we continue to have close and fruitful relations.

We send our congratulations to Michael Galsworthy, one of our Trustees, who was awarded the CVO on his retirement as a member of the Prince's Council for the Duchy of Cornwall, and to Agnes Rennie who received an MBE for services to the crofting community, in the New Year's Honours List.

The main events this year were the Arkleton Seminar and the Arkleton Lecture, both organised at the MacRobert Trust conference centre at Douneside in October. We also continued to support various projects through the three 'funds' - the Bernard Conyers Fund, the David Moore Fund, and the John Higgs Fund.