Once again, the South West's housing world has converged to debate the crucial issues facing the region. With over 70 exhibiting organisations, and a veritable galaxy of star speakers, the show looked set to live up to its reputation as a popular gathering

There was a taste of Glastonbury lined up for delegates to this year's CIH SW Housing Event. No, not the music and mud, but the launch of a bold new affordable housing campaign by festival founder Michael Eavis.

Later this year, the philanthropist intends to use the Glastonbury Rock Festival to promote the message that more affordable homes are an urgent national concern. So his decision to use the Torquay event as a launch pad was quite a coup for the regional organisation. "I want to start an awareness campaign to highlight the need for many more affordable homes," Eavis said.

"All over the country, families are struggling to access a home and many youngsters have to leave the communities that they have grown up in to seek accommodation in other areas.

would like to see more attractive and affordable homes becoming available through the planning system. It is a massive requirement for today's society."

He has already made a start on doing his bit. At home, in Pilton in Somerset, he donated land to provide 18 new affordable homes for rent in the village. He continues to work closely with the local council to provide more affordable homes in the area.

Eavis said: "The current housing crisis is just not sustainable and should be the most important concern in the whole country. Glastonbury Festival has proven itself to be a powerful tool through the promotion it has given to organisations like Water Aid, Greenpeace and Oxfam. Affordable housing in the UK will now be added to this list of worthy causes."

As a prominent figure from the world of music Eavis represents a continuation of a theme CIH SW commenced last year in a bid to widen the appeal of housing issues. Last year, by way of example, the event featured Red or Dead founder Wayne Hemingway, and Bob Mizon, co-ordinator of the British Astronomical Association's Dark Skies campaign - although even he wasn't as way out there as 'Scary Guy'.

With his bright red Mohican full-bodied tattoos and gold teeth, his 'bad boy' appearance very much personifies the saying never judge a book by its cover. The former tattoo artist and computer programmer works with young people across the world on self-respect and positive behaviour, fitting very much into theme of eliminating anti-social behaviour.

This year Eavis is joined a prestigious list of guest speakers, including the Princess Royal, president of the Rural Housing Trust, Guardian journalist Polly Toynbee, David Edwards, English Partnership's director for the south, and various other figures form the housing world such as Chris Boyes, Liz Cairncross, David fellows and Jeremy Porteus.

"This year we have once again went for 'branded speakers', but they were also speakers who are passionate about different housing issues and problems," said Stuart Palmer, branch chair for the 2007-2008 period.

"This is important because the theme of this year's conference was 'People and Places'. That recognised that our communities across the South West are different and distinctive, as are the individuals within them.

"We need to recognise that, in the drive for delivery and yet more efficiency, we hold on to the thought that one size doesn't fit all.

“Our challenge is often to provide services and homes that meet the needs of the individual in each of our unique places that we contribute to shaping in our work across the region." Those words provide more than a little much-needed pause for thought, as indeed the conference itself more than set out to do.

As much as providing a timely reminder that people are not all one 'make and model', the conference theme marked the disparity and diversity of the housing issues faced in the SW region. That recognised that, beneath the popular association of the region as predominantly rural, compared to say the heavily urbanised South East, it does in fact suffer from all the key housing issues and problems known nationally - from the problems of inner city deprivation to the afflictions besetting rural communities anywhere.

The region now has the dubious merit of being one of the most expensive areas to live within the UK, with house prices standing at nearly 12 times average incomes.

Furthermore, the organisation says that one in every 15 families languishes on a waiting list for social housing. As with the rest of the country, the region's social housing sector faces the uphill climb of providing sufficient numbers of affordable homes where people want to live and work.

So, the speakers - as well as providing a little colour to proceedings - will be passionately invoked the surge to find solutions to such issues as affordability, rural housing, poverty, second homes, planning issues, nimbyism and more.

Over the course of the three days at the Palace Hotel, delegates were given the chance to discuss and debate and contribute to the ideas and evolving solutions to the various housing problems that blight not only the region but the country. It presented a valuable opportunity to share experience, harvest new ideas and good practice, as well as just network and natter with colleagues from around the region.

As ever, it proved a sell-out occasion. Perhaps that's appropriate for the housing world and the perennial problems of demand outstripping supply, but what better metaphorical context for delegates to listening to the speakers and gaining a little inspiration for the future.