We are delighted to announce that next year’s Future Countryside event will take place on Tuesday, 20 May 2025 at Chatsworth. We are extremely grateful to the Chatsworth House Trust for hosting us.

Voices of the countryside delve into the hearts and minds of those who live, work, and manage the countryside. Through heartfelt reflections, these films capture the essence of rural life and the aspirations that should drive its future.

The slide pack, including the preliminary results of our survey, are now available to access online.

The King has sent a message to the delegates of Future Countryside, describing their “shared passion ... for a vibrant future, rural communities, and landscapes” as “truly inspiring”.

Today marks an important step forward for Future Countryside with the launch of a report from our rapporteur based on this year’s event. We are extremely grateful to its author, Heather Hancock, Chair of the Royal Countryside Fund and Master of St John’s College Cambridge. The report brings together the discussions at Hatfield where we were united and distils five principles.

The Future Countryside event, held on June 6 2023, was a gathering of more than 200 voices from rural Britain, each with unique perspectives but a shared aspiration - to ensure that the countryside is a positive force in the lives of the British people. Read the digest of the event here.

Future Countryside brought together a group of voices and views from across the country who all shared one ambition; to ensure rural Britain plays a positive part in the lives of all of the people of Britain. Watch our reminder of the day.

James Fisher reports back from Future Countryside in Country Life.

As the great and the good descended upon Hatfield House for the inaugural Future Countryside conference, there was an air of anxious excitement. For someone who spends a lot of time online, reading ideas and counter ideas about the past, present and future of rural Britain, the guestlist was like watching my Twitter feed come to life. One thing is sure — it was no mean feat getting so many people, with so many different viewpoints, into the same room. Regardless of what happens next, this was progress.

The successful inaugural Future Countryside event took place at Hatfield House on Tuesday 6 June with a host of speakers covering the biggest issues facing rural communities today. This landmark event was covered by BBC's Farming Today programme.

Speaking at the Future Countryside event on Tuesday 6 June Lord Mandelson spoke of his passion for the countryside, recognising it as the national asset it is and reminding those at this landmark event that no party can claim to represent the country if it doesn’t represent the countryside.

“And this is a reminder that the people who live and work in the countryside, and especially the successive generations of farmers who produce food and who are the land’s principal custodians, by and large know what they are doing.”

New polling carried out for the Future Countryside event taking place today, on Tuesday 6 June, reveals that British people are incredibly proud of our countryside (second only to our NHS) with almost everyone (93%) agreeing that it should be regarded as part of our national heritage. A majority of people (54%) don’t feel the countryside is being taken seriously enough by the Government, and three-quarters (75%) want more political debate on the challenges facing rural areas.

Speaking at Future Countryside on Tuesday 6 June the Environment Secretary launched a new strategy to unleash rural potential and recognised the countryside for the role it should play.

‘The countryside is the bedrock of our own story, rightly famous around the world for its beauty. And absolutely at the heart it is a part of what makes our country such a great place to live. It has nourished generations of painters, poets, authors, composers, who brought the countryside and nature to life.’

A huge majority of the public, urban and rural, also believe the countryside should be regarded as part of our national heritage. The global perception of what defines our nation includes our landscape, as those charged with promoting tourism and investment know: “The countryside is Great” posters greet visitors in every airport. Why, then, does our discourse so belittle it?

The inaugural ‘Future Countryside’ conference, taking place on Tuesday 6 June 2023 at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, aims to include rural communities as part of the solution to improving the natural environment, addressing climate change, improving our public health, housing people, and tackling food and energy security.