ABSTRACT
Rural communities in England have changed continually over the centuries as cultural, economic, infrastructural and social factors have impacted on the physical and human landscape. In this chapter we are focusing on how people change their own communities — i.e. the processes by which people recognise and respond to local need (and opportunities) and the organisational structures that help shape and influence these processes in rural communities. In order to do this we present illustrations of change and development activities within two English communities that highlight aspects we have found particularly interesting and informative.
