The importance of your business’s social value: community activities and events

The second part of the CLA’s ongoing social value survey is focussed on what you do that facilitates community activities and events. Community spaces are often the lifeblood of rural areas, so we want to quantify how CLA members are helping this happen.

Providing space or funding for community activities and events could mean that you hold events on your land, or that you provide funding to allow the activities to happen elsewhere. This could cover a whole range of activities, from hosting an annual charity event, to delivering care farming or educational activities on your land, or providing space for allotments for the local community to use.

For each type of activity that you do, you will be asked to give a brief description of the activity, and estimate the number of people who benefit each year. If this activity consists of several events, please estimate the total number from each event and give the combined figure as an answer. You will also be asked to estimate the annual financial cost to you, and the time you or your employees input. Again, please combine the cost and time for multiple events for each type of activity if necessary.

For example, if you provide space for a village fete in the summer, sporting activities in the autumn and Christmas fairs in the winter, please estimate the number of people who benefit from each of these events and sum it up. Please also do the same for your costs. It is these total figures that need to be submitted into the survey.

All responses will be aggregated, and the total economic and social benefits will be estimated, but all are worthwhile figures to consider when calculating the social value of your rural business.

If you have any questions about completing the survey or the project in general, please contact Bethany Turner on 020 7460 7978 or bethany.turner@cla.org.uk.