A talk from Prof Nigel Curry of Gloucester University on Rural Isolation, what it means, how we measure it, and how we solve it.

1. Rural Isolation
Prof Nigel Curry

2. Figure 1 – things about which all people are most concerned generally in
their rural area (all case study areas together)
% very concerned
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

3. Figure 2 – Difficulties getting to particular facilities and services –
percentage finding it very difficult (each area separately, top 5)
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Cinema Museums/galleries Bus stop Police Station Hostpital
Cornwall Llanarth Dorset Rhayader Painswick Raglan All

4. Figure 3 – things that strongly limit, or prevent, people getting involved in
community activities (all areas together)
% who feel they are unable to get invoved
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Lack of time Lack of access to Health limitations Lack of money Lack of confidence Feeling unsafe Don't get on with Not interested.
transport those involed

5. Figure 4 - In terms of social support: those thinking that access to
neighbours, family and official services are ‘very important’ (each case study
area separately)
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Having good neighbours Having family nearby Having good access to social services and other
support agencies
Cornwall Llanarth Dorset Rhayader Painswick Raglan All

6. Figure 5 – Issues of concern: a review of Parish Plans (80) and Market Town
Plans (40) – the 10 most important
Parish Plans Market Town Plans
Traffic issues Traffic issues
Housing issues Poor town environment
Poor facilities for young people Public transport
Law and order Poor facilities for young people
Public transport Local leisure and recreation facilities
Minor environmental nuisance Limited range of local shops
Inadequate village services Neglect of tourism potential
Parking issues Facilities to support businesses
More environmental protection Poor quality employment
Village hall matters Affordable housing
BLUE – potentially related to remoteness.

7. 1. How do we recognise it in Herefordshire?
We tend to think of rural isolation as being geographical. But research suggests
that in the main social or community isolation is higher in people’s minds than
remoteness. Both, though, can lead to isolation.

8. 2. How do we measure it?
2a. Older People in Rural Areas Project: this examined individuals over 60 in
two remote rural areas in England (North Cornwall) and Wales (Llanarth, Dyfed),
two areas close to urban areas (Painswick in England and Raglan in Wales) and
two areas in between (West Dorset and Rhayader, Powys), so the data is good
for looking at geographical remoteness. 150 doorstep interviews were conducted
in each case study area, 900 in total. Some results from the surveys can help us
understand the relative importance of community on the one hand and
remoteness on the other, in understanding rural isolation amongst the over 60s.
In terms of the issues that worried people most – figure 1 – poor quality public
transport and the closure of local services were the most common, in that order,
but interestingly these did not vary by geographical remoteness. When we look at
the difficulty of getting to particular facilities and services, too – figure 2 – there is
no particular association with remoteness and these difficulties are really quite
small. Interestingly, when we look at what it is that causes difficulties in getting
involved in particular activities– figure 3 – geographical remoteness is again not
strong (and this is the same for all types of area again). Finally for this project, we
can look at social isolation – or the opposite – a sense of community – figure 4.
Here, good neighbours are more important than the availability of public services
for older people in all types of rural areas and in most cases, good neighbours
are more important than family, too.

9. 2b. Rural Social Surveys: turning now to all rural people, Malcolm Moseley’s
surveys of rural England tell us a lot about the social state of our villages. I’ve just
picked out one comparison here – figure 5 – which outlines the ten most important
issues of concern in a survey of parish plans on the one hand and market towns
on the other. This tells us two things about isolation: it doesn’t seem to be very
important in villages or market towns relative to other matters and; if anything it is
more important in larger settlements.

10. 3. How do we overcome (or reduce) it?
3a Policy: the Localism Act (passed in November 2011, into force in April 2012)
provides many opportunities for community empowerment in support of the Big
Society: neighbourhood planning (Much Wenlock, Shropshire, is a national leader
here); community right to buy. But make sure that the plans are representative,
that we have the knowledge and skills to do them properly and that not only the
most articulate communities benefit.

11. 3b Finance: the Office for Civil Society and the ‘Giving’ White Paper: £16.8
million support for free advice services for Community Development; £10
million for Big Society Innovators; £34 million for those whose ‘giving’ is
innovative; £24 million Social Action Fund (to persuade people to be more
actively involved in their communities); the £30 million Community First fund
(for matched-funding neighbourhood initiatives).

12. Nigel Curry
ncurry2@glos.ac.uk
www.ccri.ac.uk