About ARC

The Centre was named after Lord Rank who donated the original building. It was opened by the Queen at the Royal Show in 1972 and is the recognised national rural resources unit for the churches. It is also a project base for innovative thinking and wide ranging work in both economic and community development in the countryside.

In 2002 the ARC moved to its current home in a newly refurbished building on the show ground adjacent to the Grand Ring.

Key points

• Church Pavilion at the Royal Show and the Town and Country Festival, hosted by the ARC since 1972.
• Rural Ministry Induction Courses held twice a year (May and Nov.) since 1982.
• Arthur Rank Training, set up in 1981 to give work-based training opportunities and personal and social development skills to disadvantaged young people. ART became an independent charity in 2002.
• Living Churchyard Project, started in 1986 to increase environmental awareness in the churches and to encourage the use of churchyards as a community environmental resource.
• Arthur Rank Centre Environmental Trust began in 1996 to help churches and community groups access funding from the Landfill tax credit scheme.
• National Churches Tourism Group, established in 1997 (now an independent charity).
• Green Ribbon Campaign, launched in 2000 to raise public awareness of the problems affecting farming, and encourage support for and understanding of the farming community.
• ARC-Addington Fund, set up in 2001 during the outbreak of Foot and Mouth to provide financial help to the victims of the crisis. Responded to over 20,500 appeals for help and distributed £10.3 million. Now an independent charity focusing on strategic housing for those who have to exit non-viable rural businesses.
• Farm Crisis Network, was established as an independent charity by the ARC and the Agricultural Christian Fellowship. It now has over 300 volunteers in regional groups across the country, who provide essential support to individuals and families suffering from a wide range of problems related to farming. Also operates a national helpline service.
• The Centre for Studies in Rural Ministry operates as a partnership between the ARC, the University of Wales and St. Deiniols Library offering post-graduate courses in rural ministry.
• Hidden Britain Centres is about economic regeneration through community based tourism. A highly successful pilot project in Cumbria (funded by the DTI) is now being rolled out to the rest of the country.
• Eco-congregation was a government initiative to raise community awareness of environmental issues through local churches. The responsibility for the development of the project in England moved to the ARC in 2004.
• Computers for Rural People - the Arthur Rank Centre sources high quality, fully-refurbished, ex-government computer equipment available at very competitive prices for anybody working in, with or for rural communities.