Today we are sharing the findings from our research on addressing rural depopulation in Dumfries and Galloway with Elected Members in D&G Council, that commissioned the research. Our Briefing Paper and full report, which will both be available later this week, are full of analysis, casestudies, and 26 recommendations. There is so much we could highlight.
- The contributions of young researchers in D&G to the research. A big thank you to Hayley McGaw for casestudies and analysis from Scotland and Europe, to Charlotte Nash for surveying young farmers across the region, to Korey Patterson for engaging young people, to Cameron Inglis for interviewing people in the Rhins, as well as Mary Mitchell who reached out so effectively to “Alternative Lifers”.
- The overall conclusion that rural repopulation is possible, and that there are many examples of this, from within Dumfries and Galloway itself, in Scotland and across Europe.
- Our call to change the narrative on rural living, in particular highlighting young people who are making a good life for themselves in rural communities.
- And our call to significantly enhance the returns to local communities from the many, many assets they steward that make modern life for us all at all possible. Dramatic rural revitalisation would easily be possible if rural and island communities enjoyed just returns on these assets, rather than the value and profit (for example from the renewable energy, forestry and carbon sectors), being extracted by external parties.