11/04/11…..Bringing home workers together in your Oxfordshire village

A FREE guide has recently been published for homeworkers interested in getting together informally with others in their village to share experiences and knowledge.

The Oxfordshire Rural Community Council guide features ten case studies of widely differing groups set up by people working from home in the smaller towns and villages around Oxfordshire. It also outlines the process, from identifying local need through to the initial get together, based on the experiences of more than 16 informal village groups.

Says Catharine Arakelian who led the project for ORCC: ?The idea of Oxfordshire villages as merely dormitories for commuters is outdated ? evidence from this project reveals they are hives of hidden economic activity. A recent parish survey in the Baldons found 18% of villagers (48 individuals) say they work from home each day settling down in their home offices, sheds and on kitchen tables to run their businesses. That?s a lot of microbusinesses in just one small area. Replicate those statistics across Oxfordshire and you can see the enormous contribution to the local economy made by homeworkers in villages.?

Informal business groups often start through a meeting of friends in pubs, coffee shops or at each other?s houses. Learning from each other, and sharing the ups and downs of running your own business may be enough to sustain a small group of up to 15 members. Some larger groups structure their time around short workshops and talks.

The ORCC project has revealed just the tip of an iceberg with 16 groups identified, new groups starting in Chilton, Blewbury, Bampton, and Wendlebury in recent months, and many other stirrings. Says Catharine: ?The future of homeworker village groups in this era of joined up communications could include developing an Oxfordshire-wide village business network. Even a loose network could offer value to each other in mutual support, collaboration, information and market intelligence, sharing preferred suppliers and problem-solving.?

The guide is available online at www.oxonrcc.org.uk