A £1.4m nationwide campaign aims to inspire people who want to improve life in their communities.

Two flagship events will kick off the second phase of the successful Village SOS campaign, a Big Lottery Fund initiative that helps to turn ideas into reality.

The free events will take place in Bristol and Darlington during February.

The drop-in days will feature workshops, networking, and exhibitions and advice from funders and community support agencies.

The events are open to anyone from a rural community who needs inspiration, skills or support to get a great idea or budding project off the ground.

Whether it's as simple as a car share scheme, or as ambitious as opening a community café, the Village SOS campaign can help.

The dates and venues for the launch events are:

· Armada Conferencing Centre, Bristol, Saturday, February 21, 10am-4pm
· Morrisons Community Trust, Darlington, Saturday, February 28, 10am-4pm

The first phase of Village SOS aimed to help kick start a rural revival using the power of sustainable community enterprise.

It supported inspiring business ideas that brought communities together to start enterprises that tackle the challenges they face.

The focus of the second phase will be a 'community to community' learning network, which will see volunteers from social enterprises become mentors to share the secrets of their success.

Volunteers will offer their time, support, experience and expertise and will point new enterprises in the direction of potential funding sources.

The informal drop-in day events are organised by Action with Communities in Rural England, the lead partner in the UK-wide campaign, and research partner Rocket Science.

Rural stakeholders who wish to receive direct mailings about the initiative, including future events, are being invited to join the Village SOS campaign.