Rural charity seeks head of marketing

Rural life campaigning charity the Countryside Alliance is searching for a head of marketing, in the hope of trebling its membership.

Commercial director Roger Loodmer says the new post is the result of a reorganisation within the alliance, which has resulted in the creation of a commercial department.

Loodmer has been promoted from finance director to head of the new commercial department. He says the alliance had realised that, although it is good at campaigning for people and rural life, it needs to work harder at self-promotion.

He adds: “We are not brilliant at selling ourselves. We need to treble our membership if we are to do the things people want us to. The more you do, the more support you need.”

The Rural Alliance has 90,000 members, and campaigns on issues affecting rural communities – such as foot and mouth disease and abattoir closures – with the aim of “putting the life back into the countryside”.

Loodmer expects someone to be appointed within the next couple of months. The successful candidate will report to him.

The alliance launched a nationwide poster campaign in February promoting the Liberty and Livelihood demonstrations on March 18. The march was to be held in support of hunting, protests against high fuel prices and poor public transport, but was postponed because of the foot-and-mouth crisis.