2026 marks 40 years of the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI)!

We’re proud to celebrate four decades of advancing rural understanding, building enduring research partnerships, and shaping positive change.

Our journey began in 1986, when the late Nigel Curry founded the TRRU (Tourism and Recreation Research Unit) from a store cupboard at the Gloucestershire College of Arts and Technology.

TRRU rapidly evolved into the Countryside and Community Research Unit (CCRU), later becoming CCRI in 2008.

Now based in Cheltenham as part of University of Gloucestershire, and home to 36 staff, CCRI has grown into the largest rural research centre in western Europe and remains dedicated to supporting rural futures that flourish.

Over the decades, our work has evolved alongside major societal shifts and policy developments -from the UK’s Agriculture Act of 1986, through to EU CAP reform, the emergence of Net Zero and the impacts of Brexit. Our research has also expanded beyond farming and planning. It now encompasses fisheries, forestry, food systems, and even aspects of urban life – themes that only bring greater depth to our understanding of how people and places interact.

Yet CCRI’s ethos remains unchanged: inclusive, positive, and committed to understanding how things can be better. We continue to produce trusted social science evidence to support communities and policymakers, and to co-create solutions to complex social, environmental, and economic challenges.

Join us as we celebrate this special milestone. We will share stories from our rich history and host a special anniversary event in the autumn where we look forward to re-uniting with many of you to reflect on the past and look to the future.

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Discover our history