Partnership role
It has been just over a month since I joined the Rural Design Centre (RDC) in a joint role as an Innovation Associate with the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE), with financial support from Business Durham, writes Hilary Anderson, Innovation Associate.
My work will be focussed within County Durham, a place which I’m proud to call home, working with rural communities. There has never been a more pertinent time to focus on the joint values of RDC and NICRE which come together as ‘Rural Catalyst’ to tackle rural challenges and work towards unlocking the potential contained within our rural communities, through the considerate blending of research, innovation, design and engagement.
Having enjoyed a rich and diverse career within creative product management roles and more recently as a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Functional Skills teaching specialist, I am passionate about finding new solutions to empower those who are often considered to be furthest away from the jobs market to gain social mobility. As I have witnessed within my practice, it’s often the small incremental gains that raise aspirations and expectations within a community and I will use that experience as I work directly with rural communities on projects. Helping to enable those gains through creative solutions is important.
