The ACRE Network2023-10-05T07:41:01+00:00

The ACRE Network

We are the national representative body for the ACRE Network, England’s largest rural grouping of community support charities.

The ACRE Network exists to provide a voice for rural communities, and to help them achieve great things locally.

Find ACRE in your county

The network has been making a difference to rural communities since the 1920s. A century on, there are 37 county-based member organisations, plus ACRE nationally, working in concert to address rural issues and supporting a wide range of community-led initiatives that encourage a culture of volunteering and mutual aid, reduce social isolation and loneliness, increase the supply of affordable housing, boost the local economy, and reduce impact on the environment.

Together, we are a network that:

  • reaches over 28,000 community groups and organisations annually

  • levers in over £40 million each year in support of rural communities

  • employs more than 1,100 staff with expert knowledge of the issues facing rural communities

  • supports over 10,000 village halls

  • shares a commitment to making sure no one is disadvantaged because of where they live

Publications and resources