Who we are
Where it all began
You'll miss it when it's gone
It all began with a greengrocers. Thomas's stood at No. 2 High Street since the 1950's, and was a focal point for the community at the centre of the village - a place as much about buying locally grown fruit and vegetables as it was for bumping into friends and neighbours for the latest village gossip. But despite being so cherished by the village, a drop in takings over many months combined with difficult competition with supermarket prices led to the sad decision to close this much loved family business after 60 years. Suddenly Ruddington realised the importance what it had lost. Did we all take our shops and amenities for granted? Even more fundamentally, were we doing enough to support what we love about our neighbourhood? Residents packed St Peter's Rooms at an emergency Parish Council meeting in April 2018, and asked one simple question - what can we do to support the heart of our community? We recognised that the prosperity of our village and the wellbeing of everyone that works and lives here was not the responsibility of just one group, but was in the interest of all stakeholders: residents, councillors, businesses, faith groups, and beyond. With that, the Ruddington Village Community Partnership was born...
Meet the team
A collaboration of the community
Our 14 committee members represent a broad range of interests from the community. All our members give their time freely to bring a range of skills and experience to help us achieve our aims, such as community outreach, local government, finance, business leadership, high street retail and hospitality, PR, social media, and links with other community groups, churches and schools.
Our 4 lead officers are:
Mike Ader - Chair, Resident
Mark Pinks - Vice Chair, Resident
Stella Dickie - Treasurer, Resident
Leia Morales - Secretary, Business owner (Travel Counsellor)
Current members:
Sam Allison - Resident
Max Abbott - Business owner (The Pet Pantry)
Mike Gaunt - Borough & Parish Councillor
Justine Lucas - Parish Councillor
Peter Lyons-Lewis - Parish Councillor
Jen Walker - Borough Councillor, Business owner (Split Screen Coffee)
Graham Wright - Business owner (RUDDINGTON.info)
(12th, 13th and 14th positions vacant)
Past members:
Sally Beards - Business owner (Phoenix Flowers)
Andrew Buchanan - St Peter's Church (Reverend)
Sarah Godfrey - Parish Councillor
Andy Heath - Business owner (The Frame Breakers)
Caroline Hobson - Resident
Robert Howie-Smith - Resident
Paula Kershaw - Business owner (Ruby Rae)
Sue Matthews - Resident
Janice Moore - Resident
Bhavna Patel - Business owner (The Red Heart)
Soham Patel - Business owner (Ruddington Post Office)
Alex Preston - Business owner (The Bottle Top)
Laura Ratcliffe - Ruddington Mums
Julie Smith - Business owner (Black Cat Cafe)
Louise Third - St Peter's Church
Ian Wilson - Parish Councillor
How we work
Monthly meetings
We meet as a committee once a month to discuss our progress and future plans. All 14 members are invited to our committee meetings, and a detailed agenda is provided in advance. At least three members are needed to be able to carry any committee decisions forward. At all meetings, we ensure there are no conflicts of interest for any agenda item, and discuss
- Outstanding actions
- Our policies
- Financial reports from our Treasurer
- Reports from our service providers
- Reports from our foundation projects, including Ruddington Village Market and the Young Entrepreneurs Programme
- Reports from other in-progress projects
- Proposals for new projects
Projects are managed by sub-committees as appropriate.
Our volunteers
The power of people
RVCP is built on volunteer power! It is only through our amazing group of volunteers that our projects are delivered sucessfully. From helping to set up gazebos at our monthly market, to delivering leaflets door to door, our extended network of volunteers from across the community, actively engaged in the future of our village, ensure that that we are able to deliver a wide range of initiatives to meet our aims.
Want to volunteer? Drop us a line via our Get Involved page!
Our partnerships
Working together
As an unincorporated community association of volunteers, RVCP does not have any direct powers to affect change in our village, but we believe that by building good relationships and working together in partnership with local authorities, their service providers, local businesses, and other organisations, RVCP can help our community to achieve its goals to provide better opportunites and improved wellbeing for everyone in Ruddington.
RVCP works closely with Rushcliffe Borough Council and Ruddington Parish Council to achieve the best outcomes for our community.
See below for just some of the organisations we have partnered with on our projects.
Our awards
Community Group of the Year 2019
Celebrating Rushcliffe Awards have twice recognised RVCP for its outstanding collaborative work. In 2019, we were awarded Community Group of the Year, and were recognised for galvanising independent village businesses into group initiatives to drive footfall for traders. Judges said of RVCP: “Their energy and enthusiasm makes Ruddington an even better place to live.”
Enterprise of the Year 2021
In 2021, Ruddington Village Market, organised by RVCP, won the Enterprise of the Year award, after several creative initiatives during the pandemic that enabled the village to retain a sense of community and pride despite the challenging circumstances. The market returned as soon as was possible under strict COVID guidelines, and allowed residents to come together safely once again.
Highly Commended - Great British Market Awards 2022
In early 2022, we were thrilled that Ruddingon Village Market was recognised as Highly Commended at the Great British Market awards, organised by NABMA, the National Association of British Market Authorities. The Highly Commended category celebrates “markets that NABMA consider play outstanding roles in their local communities and have demonstrated innovation, commitment and gone that extra mile to deliver a quality markets service”.
