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A JOURNAL OF RURAL YOUTH

SMART VILLAGE The future of young, rural digital connections.

THE ISLE OF HARRIS DISTILLERY The power of community embedded enterprise.

ANCIENT FARMING First-time farmer Instagrams old traditions to new markets.

The project is creative in how it works, using Ideas Festivals, inter-generational learning journeys and dynamic leadership training that inspire young people to create businesses, social enterprises and to make a lasting difference to their communities. And, we seek and tell stories to share the voices of young people and gather examples of great approaches that support young rural people from all over the world.

ABOUT FUNDING The Rural Youth Project partners with organisations that are passionate about young people and supporting them in rural areas. Our partnerships are collaborative and crafted to engage audiences, communities and, most importantly, rural young people. In 2019 The Rural Youth Project was awarded funding from the LEADER Programme 2014-2020: The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas in August 2019. The cooperation grant is supported by five areas – Angus, Lanarkshire, Outer Hebrides, Rural Perth and Kinross and the Scottish Borders. Financial and practical support for the project has also been received from Scottish Enterprise.

Our funders and supporting partners are listed below. Supporters

Founding partners

@loomgraphics.work

he Rural Youth Project is an international grassroots movement for positive change. Its mission is to empower young people (18 to 28 years of age) to develop their leadership, enterprise & activism skills, to play an integral part in making rural places attractive and viable for young people to build their lives and their futures there. The project was founded in 2018 by Jane Craigie and Rebecca Dawes.

Magazine design and art direction by LOOM

ABOUT THE PROJECT

CONTENTS

from the

Ideas Cafes bring connection & inspiration

The young rural change makers’ programme

Case study: Borders-based young

he best of rural places goes beyond the beauty of the landscape, waterways and coastline. What makes our countryside vibrant is the people who live there, their sense of can-do and the strong communities that they form.

forester wants to connect people to nature

Young people at the heart of Scotland’s rural repopulation

The world’s first rural youth dedicated Smart Village

The stories of these places will be told regularly in the pages of this magazine. Our hope is that, sharing the wonder and the doing of place, that rural communities can learn from each other. Our belief is that the strongest communities can look within to resolve their problems and, through sharing skills, the barter economy and community raised investment can create lasting strength by building structures, climate-conscious solutions and strong intergenerational bonds.

The power of cool rural business

The socially-driven spirit of Harris

Ancient farming meets instagram

We felt Tread was an apt name for this magazine. Young people believe in treading lightly on our planet with many seeing that their purpose is to be the generation that tackles the climate crisis. Young rural people have a love of place borne of treading its landscape. And tread depicts a moment in life’s journey – a moment in rural history and a place where ancestors walked before. If we all learn to tread lightly amongst our closest people and our local environment, we have the makings of strong, lasting connections, reasons for people to invest in each other and in the places they call home.

“...the strongest communities can look within to resolve their problems”

This first issue of Tread will pop into our world in early 2021, when we are still gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic. It comes at a time when rural people are more connected to urban citizens, because humans have craved green space. It comes at a time when people are more connected to the food that they eat, and the seasons’ gifts. But it also comes into a time of great hardship - lost livelihoods, lost loved ones, lost spirit. The rural young and old have been the worst hit. And those businesses which share rural places with visitors have suffered great pain. We hope that our project’s work, focused on developing humancentric creativity and the reimagining of the rural future through the eyes of our young people, holds the key to reversing the trend for young people to leave rural places. Our belief is that when young people make vibrant lives in rural places, they become the life blood of that area, and this will help rural economies to thrive. We have been overwhelmed by the response to this project.

Jane Craigie Editor / Director of RYP E: jane@ruralyouthproject.com

www.ruralyouthproject.com

Case study: Urban cool takes

to country roads

Case study: The art in farming

Case study: Lockdown baker

Report: Optimism of rural young people halved during COVID-19

The Scottish Youth Parliament

Wales follows Scotland’s lead

Last word

The people in this issue... Alana Black Age: 27 Aberdeenshire, Scotland and NSW, Australia. Rebecca Dawes Dumfries & Galloway

Mary McIntosh Age: 22 Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland. Alexander McLeod Age: Early 20s

Isle of Harris, Scotland. Shona McLeod Isle of Harris, Scotland.

Ellie Dobie Age: 25 Scottish Borders, Scotland.

Laura McCulloch Age: 22 Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland.

Victory Ekepurede Age: 17 MSYP, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Austen Morley Age: 22 Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Becca Flory Perth & Kinross, Scotland. Owen Foster Age: 18 Angus, Scotland. Josse Haarhuis Age: 23 Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Rebekah Morrison Age: 18 Isle of Harris, Scotland. Brenda Roddy Angus, Scotland. Ffion Storer-Jones

Wales, UK and Brussels, Belgium.

Lauren Kelly Age: 18 MSYP, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Claire Wilson Age: 27

Catriona Maclean, Isle of Lewis and Glasgow, Scotland.

Anna Lamotte Age: Late 20s Perthshire, Scotland.

South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

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Owen making his jams in Angus

IDEAS CAFES BRING CONNECTION & INSPIRATION WORDS LAURA McCULLOCH, BRENDA RODDY & OWEN FOSTER

he Rural Youth Project Ideas Cafés have inspired, encouraged and supported young people to pursue their business projects, ideas, and ventures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The topics have covered financing your business idea, how to crowdfund and adapting your business to online. Speakers included 18-year-old Owen Foster, from Owen’s Angus Jams, Brenda Roddy a Crowdfunder UK coach and Luke Taylor who started his acclaimed Rambling Ranger podcast during lockdown. Owen Foster began his entrepreneurial journey at age 12. “I started selling eggs around my local village for a couple of years and then moved onto selling jars of jam around the village for £3 each. We had one flavour to start with and everything has snowballed from there,” says Owen. Owen found that at such a young age, he was not eligible for grants or funding schemes, and recommends that other young people look to crowdfunding as a source for capital investment. In the absence of other sources of funding, Owen used crowdfunding to move away from jam-making in the family’s kitchen to develop a farm shop which has been doing a buoyant takeaway and grocery trade during lockdown.

Of crowdfunding he says: “One of the main things to remember, is that you have got to sell your story well and find a way to connect with people, so that in return, they will help you. Once we started to really push our story, everything started to snowball from there,” he said. Crowdfunder Coach, Brenda Roddy added: “It’s great that young people, like Owen, have taken initiative to crowdfund their projects. You would not believe the diversity of projects we receive every day. Young people are particularly good at running Crowdfunders because they haven’t had as many knockbacks and are up for trying anything.” On review of the session, 100% of participants stated that the Ideas Café had increased their confidence to finance their own business project idea, that they felt more able to set up a Crowdfunder page and were more optimistic about taking their business to the next step. The Rural Youth Project will be running Ideas Cafés over the autumn and winter, they are free for anyone to join and are run using Zoom. Go to www.ruralyouthproject.com to sign up to mailing list, we will send you details of future events.

“One of the main things to remember about crowdfunding is that you have got to sell your story well and find a way to connect with people, so that in return, they will help you.” - Owen Foster [aged 18]

THE YOUNG RURAL CHANGE MAKERS’ PROGRAMME

Young Rural Change Makers’ Programme

Sarah Clark, Perth and Kinross

he Young Rural Change Makers’ Programme, run by the Rural Youth Project, is a five-week, participative training initiative which ran through October and November 2020. The programme was covered by the project’s LEADER funding. Its aim has been to help young people build their confidence, develop new skills and to be part of a network to help them thrive in rural areas. The masterclasses were delivered by external trainers, including a crowdfunder, a leadership coach and a moderator experienced in community building. Rebecca Dawes from the Rural Youth Project said that the ideas for change coming from the 12 young people who attended were fresh, different and have the power to revolutionise the impact of the under 30s in our rural places. “The core reason people signed up for the Change Makers’ is that they want to find ways to build successful small businesses in communities that will support both them as individuals, as well as their enterprises,” she says.

“In follow up to the programme, we aim to match every participant with a rural leader or business operator, who has been through the Scottish Enterprise Rural Leadership Programme, which now has over 650 people in its alumni. “We didn’t just want to provide the training, we also wanted to make sure that everyone had a support network to give them confidence and a critical ally to help mould they plans to become a reality,” she says. “Building confidence and having cheer leaders who believe in you is rocket fuel if you’re starting something new or wanting to drive change, which is why we decided to run this training during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The young people involved include a youth worker from the Kyle of Lochalsh whose parents run a croft on North Uist, an 18-year-old who’s set up an equestrian business on his family farm in Aberdeenshire and a young consultant from Berneray in the Outer Hebrides.

Robert Auchnie, Aberdeenshire Siobhan Barker Outer Hebrides/ Kyle of Lochalsh

Ellie Dobbie, Scottish Borders Ashleigh Forster, Outer Hebrides Anne Kelso, Ayrshire Molly Nolan, Highlands and Islands Melissa Reilly, Lanarkshire Kieran Sinclair, Orkney Isles Cameron Smith, Lanarkshire Laura Strang, Lanarkshire Luke Taylor, West Lothian

Smart Village Digital Champions Find out more on page 12

Hunor Deak, Angus Theo Gillan, Perth and Kinross Anne Kelso, Ayrshire Elin Lambie, Scottish Borders Amber Maslen, Perth and Kinross Lucy Murdoch, South Ayrshire Aaron Murray, Perth and Kinross Rachel Parker, Scottish Borders Melissa Reilly, Lanarkshire Kieran Sinclair, Orkney Isles Jordane Symington, Outer Hebrides

“Building confidence and having cheer leaders who believe in you is rocket fuel.” www.ruralyouthproject.com

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Case study

BORDERS-BASED YOUNG FORESTER WANTS TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO NATURE WORDS JANE CRAIGIE & ELLIE DOBIE

YOUNG RURAL CHANGE MAKER

llie Dobie attended the 2019 Rural Youth Project Ideas Festival and was one of the 12 who graduated from the 2020 Young Rural Change Makers’ programme. She lives in a very small village scattered along a wooded valley in the Scottish Borders. It is where she grew up and was homeschooled for 10 years. Now ‘back home’ after studying forestry at university, she is working in the family forestry and sawmill business. Here she shares her hopes for the future.

Ellie Dobie is 25, her upbringing in her family’s forests in the Scottish Borders gave her, she says, “plenty of time to become thoroughly anchored to the valley and surrounding area, and to get to know everyone and everything in it, and how it all ticks, or doesn’t.” Ellie’s parents own and manage woodland and a small sawmill in the middle of the village. This is where she says that she became “thoroughly committed to trees”. In her late teens she left her beloved valley to “spread my wings,” she says. “I spent two incredible years at an international sixth form college, and then pursued forestry at Uni in Wales, travelling to Canada, the Highlands, Germany, Slovakia, Estonia, Ireland, and Mexico to further my knowledge and do various work, trips, and conferences. “Now I am back home, and for the last two years have been knuckling down to the day-to-day work of looking after the trees from planting saplings to delivering timber to customers.” She says that she is always buzzing with ideas, but the hardest thing is finding the time to progress them, which is one of the reasons she applied for the Change Makers’

Programme. “In terms of forestry, we have an amazing opportunity to train people here, or even let people learn more about the environment and all that woodland management and sawmilling entails. Both the public and the forestry world could benefit hugely from more understanding about trees and what we do here. “At the moment we have a steady stream of people who come from abroad to help for weeks or months at a time; through friendsof-friends and also the HelpExchange network. It would be great if local people could also come and work alongside us,” she says. Within the family, the Dobies have started discussing a project that would give young people from local schools the opportunity to gain work experience in their woodlands and sawmill, while earning credits for their school courses. “It will be exciting to see where this can lead,” she adds. One of Ellie’s ambitions is to find a way of linking up young people, which she sees as especially important for those who move into/back to a rural area. “It is so hard to find friends because everyone is so spread out in rural areas. There could well be someone just over the hill who would love to go hike a mountain or chat over a cup of tea, but neither knows the other exists, and both end up in a lonely rut. It would be amazing to get a critical mass of young people so that we could organise trips, yoga classes, shared suppers etc., and promote it in such a way that every young person in the area would know about it and could join and easily find friends and fun things to do.” Ellie is deeply embedded in her home and

“The general public is becoming more interested and aware of the natural world and climate change, so it feels like us rural-dwellers are in the limelight” - Ellie Dobie

is part of the community council, and, along with another member, she says that they are thinking about ways to encourage young people to move to the area. “Another project idea is to facilitate people of all ages to learn new skills, for example plumbing or basic mechanics or photography,” she says. “If there was a subject that enough people were interested in, then a course could be run. “There is windfarm funding available, so hopefully there would be financial assistance if needed with any of these projects.” Having spent time travelling and studying, like many young people returning home, it has brought its challenges. “The hardest thing for me, personally, is the isolation; going from a large, diverse friend-group at Uni to knowing absolutely no-one my own age in the area. Loneliness can be so crushing, and I end up just working all the time and not taking time off, because there is no-one to go and do fun things with; I feel middle-aged already! You have to go to events in towns to find friends, but then they are far away so it’s difficult to meet up. “There are also tons of things I would love to learn or try, like martial arts, circus skills, parcour, but fun events and courses are all so far away and there is no-one to lift-share with.” Grateful and reflective she adds: “Luckily I am sorted in terms of a job, a house and good internet connectivity, but I know many other people in rural areas for whom these issues are a big problem.”

increasing interest in the challenges of rural life, and also the general public becoming more interested and aware of the natural world and climate change, it feels somewhat like us rural-dwellers are in the limelight. So at the moment there is a huge opportunity to tackle some of these problems, and also let the world learn more about the countryside.” Commenting on her involvement in the Change Makers’ Programme, she says: “I always like to make the most of life, and take hold of opportunities - and this seemed like a really good one! “The training will give me so many skills and a good boost of momentum to carry through my ideas, and also help me to support others in their projects. The topics sounded really useful, and the course covers skills that are hard to pick up elsewhere; it’s not like you can watch a you-tube video or read a manual for them. They are skills that will last a life-time, and it seems like a good idea to hone these abilities young and benefit from them sooner rather than later. “It was great to meet like-minded young people, and to network and share ideas and I’m also happy that it will keep me connected and involved with the Rural Youth Project.” Reflecting on her home and life she says: “On a more personal level, living rurally gives me the opportunity to do a job that I love and that is worthwhile. It is outdoors, productive and surrounded by so much beauty. And the challenges give you the opportunity to become more resilient, resourceful, and adaptable.”

Looking to the future Ellie sees an important ambassadorial role for young rural people like herself. “Because of the

www.ruralyouthproject.com

Tread ISSUE 1

YOUNG PEOPLE AT THE HEART OF SCOTLAND’S RURAL REPOPULATION WORDS JANE CRAIGIE

atriona Maclean is the former Deputy Director for Rural Economy and Communities in the Scottish Government. Jane Craigie captures her conversation with Catriona on the need for rural repopulation and rural business growth, and why these two dynamics are so important for young people. As a “daughter of the croft with muddy boots experience” Catriona’s background brings a powerful understanding of the joys and the complexities of rural life into her role. The family’s croft is on Lewis which gives Catriona the added dimension of understanding island living and communities, as well as small scale farming. Over three decades in Scottish public sector roles with a dominant focus on rural infrastructure and communities has given Catriona a palpable desire to make rural places better, stronger and more prepared for the future. This experience also equips her to understand the fragility of rural economies and services, and where public investment is best targeted to make a difference. “I have a huge emotional connection within rural Scotland, we have got masses of micro enterprises creating a rich tapestry and one that consistently deliver more GVA in rural Scotland than Glasgow and Edinburgh put together,” Catriona explains. “There is so much truth in the old Scots saying of many a mickle makes a muckle within the rural economy.” She adds, however, that “often we don’t value what is in front of us,” elaborating on the value that local people with their rich rural knowledge and their passions bring give to Scotland’s landscape, tourism and food and drink sectors.

www.ruralyouthproject.com

“Without people we have neither an economy nor the environment that we so value, which is why population retention and community engagement are such important elements for the future.” Rural Scotland makes up around 20% of the 5.4 million population. The Scottish Government has a firm commitment to invest in these places via financial, enterprise, and leadership support, and by engaging with rural citizens.

THE COVID EFFECT “We’re in really challenging times, I don’t think anyone needs to be reminded about the costs of Covid and the fact that we are changing our regulatory environment as we leave the EU,” Catriona says. “There are a multitude of things that need to be thought of and they need to be thought about by a wide range of people with difference experiences and backgrounds if we are to have the answers that will bring the richness of decision making to the table.” She adds that Covid has taught us we can flex and work in a new and totally different way. “We mustn’t lose this. There’s a lot of discussion in ScotGov and how we embed some of these cultural shifts into what we do going forward. There will be changes to the way we work that might create opportunities for young people.”

YOUNG TRUMPS YOUNG AT HEART Catriona embodies being young at heart but recognises that “I’m not the future. We [ScotGov] need to engage with young people of all types and all voices to find out what they think the future is, because my view of the future will be different

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“... young people have a big part to play in building that next phase of our civic society and our communities.” - Catriona Maclean, Scottish Government

from a future imagined by young people because they will have a richness of ideas that I do not have.” Catriona outlines the concerns of the Scottish Government about rural places. “We know that young people tend to drift from west to east Scotland, and we can understand why they might want to move to try out new experiences; also it will be interesting to see if there will be a new pressure on rural areas, with more people possibly choosing to move to rural areas. Whilst this is a good thing, it may create different pressures in terms of housing and community dynamics, so we need to think about how to support communities who experience this.”

INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNITIES A challenge facing our whole country is that there is an aging population and, in certain parts of Scotland, for example the south of Scotland, the so-called dependency ratio of the number of people not working to those working is very high, due to too few young people staying there. “That’s an issue that South of Scotland Enterprise is absolutely alive to and is working to address in all sorts of different ways, for example, how can we inspire young people to think of elderly care as a career choice? How can we join up our social, home and health care to be more inventive about keeping our older people in our villages? “We are not working in a vacuum; we need to acknowledge and respect both our life experience and those of our older community members. We can learn from the old ways and the old ways in many senses may become the new ways because small-scale, local, caring for each other are all to the fore. I think of it as giving our past a future and our future a past. This helps me to see decisions as part of a continuum. If we can think about them both in a very human and personal way, or commercialise them, we could create new jobs, green jobs and a bright future for rural families at the same time as addressing some of the big issues.

RURAL HOUSING Catriona says that the Scottish Government knows that there are housing challenges, particularly for young people. “I want young people to have a choice of where they live,” she says. “But, often in rural communities people build for life, to fit a growing family, and that means that houses are often too big for young people to afford and, as a citizen, I worry about that.” However, she points out that the Housing 2040 Framework is thinking about this gnarly issue, as is the national planning framework. “We know that these changes will take cultural and regulatory shifts.” Added to this, Catriona says that the Government has a commitment around creating rural hubs and placemaking, as well as developing wellbeing economies and community wealth building. “This is not just about public sector; this is also about private sector creating new businesses that will contribute and develop economies in rural as well as urban areas. And it is about communities being willing and able to be part of the decision-making process”

HOPES FOR RURAL SCOTLAND Catriona’s hopes for the future of rural Scotland are that it remains a diverse landscape that is economically socially and environmentally in balance, where no one group dominates, and where young and old learn from and support each other. A place where people live, work, visit, and learn and where they are doing different things, from farming to physiotherapy or forestry to software development. “I want to see the lights on in the glens, to see village halls used for a range of activities, for worship, markets, Ceilidhs and playgroups, where young and old can work together and where people are doing many different things with their lives. And young people have a big part to play in building that next phase of our civic society and our communities.”

Profile

CATRIONA MACLEAN EARLY LIFE Catriona was born in Glasgow, as was commonplace in her youth, people migrated from the Scottish Highlands and Islands for work and education. Her family later moved back to their croft on Lewis.

CAREER On finishing her education, Catriona moved to Inverness where she worked for 30 years in many public sector roles, including housing, justice, community planning and was CEO of the Crofting Commission. Catriona is the former Deputy Director for the Rural Economy and Communities.

POLICY VIEWS Catriona is a great believer that policymakers should involve people in decision making, because they will welcome the engagement and, more importantly, bring an all-important richness to the story of place and community.

www.ruralyouthproject.com

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THE WORLD’S FIRST RURAL YOUTH DEDICATED SMART VILLAGE WORDS REBECCA DAWES

n late 2020, the Rural Youth Project will launch a “world first” – a youth-centric Smart Village which will champion young people to collaboratively build vibrant, creative, and sustainable rural economies in the places they call home.

network and form mentoring relationships and with established business and community leaders.

Smart Villages, a concept driven by the European Network for Rural Development, are rural digital ‘villages’ that combine physical and digital communities to improve their resilience. These digital hubs build on local strengths and create ways for likeminded or place-based communities to connect.

Ashley Petrie from Smart Village Scotland said, “The Rural Youth Project Smart Village will be strategically designed to solve the big challenges faced by young people at local and national levels,

Smart Village Scotland has partnered with the Rural Youth Project, to create the Rural Youth Project Smart Village which will be a super connected community that will function as a space for young people to connect, to build or expand their enterprise and leadership skills and to trade. Co-Founders and Directors of the Rural Youth Project, Jane Craigie and Rebecca Dawes, said: “the Rural Youth Project Smart Village is an opportunity to provide a digital place that really benefits young people and supports them in many aspects of their rural lives. “We are particularly excited about the marketplace where young people can list their products and services, as a buyer from Smart Village ‘virtual shops’ you will know that every pound you spend, that you will be supporting a young rural person and investing back into their local rural community. “It will also be a space for young people to

“This will be the first dedicated rural youth Smart Village in the world and is certain to attract both European and international partners as it establishes.”

and by young people, is being developed to support our five LEADER areas; Angus, Lanarkshire, Outer Hebrides, Rural Perth and Kinross and the Scottish Borders, which will leave a lasting legacy for those rural young people and communities. “Smart Villages are being developed to support a number of communities in Scotland and Europe. A dedicated one for young people is essential to enable them to connect, have a voice, share ideas, engage with relevant entrepreneurs and community

“The RYP Smart Village will be strategically designed to solve the big challenges faced by young people at local and national levels” - Ashley Petrie

it’s exciting to partner with the Rural Youth Project and LEADER to deliver this project.” The aim is to launch the Rural Youth Project Smart Village in early 2021. Chair of Rural Perth and Kinross LEADER Programme and Chief Executive of Growbiz Scotland, Jackie Brierton said: “The Rural Youth Project received £191,170 support from the LEADER Programme 2014-2020: The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas. The funding comes from 5 regions in Scotland. We’re therefore delighted that a vibrant Smart Village community, built for

leaders to address the challenges they encounter where they want to live, study and work. “Covid19 has brought young people and communities many additional challenges and this is a fantastic opportunity for young people to get involved and develop new skills to be part of shaping the future for their community. The next phase of a longer-term programme to reach out to all areas of Scotland and enable all young people to participate and become the next generation of rural leaders.”

www.ruralyouthproject.com

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“We seek out dirtbags who feel more at home in a base camp or on a river than they do in the office.” - Yvon Chouinard

THE POWER OF COOL RURAL BUSINESS WORDS JANE CRAIGIE, ANNA LAMOTTE & BECCA FLORY

von Chouinard, aged 82, is a climber, and adventurer and the founder of the outdoor gear manufacturer, Patagonia. The company is a B Corporation – one that is socially and environmentally accountable and responsible. He has built his business on purpose and core values rooted in being totally embedded in environmental responsibility. There is so much that he says about people and business philosophy in his book, Let My People Go Surfing, that resonates with what we have heard from young rural people. “Patagonia product users love to spend as much time as possible in the mountains or the wild,” he says in his book. On his employees, he adds: “We seek out dirtbags who feel more at home in a base camp or on a river than they do in the office. We can hardly continue to make the best outdoor clothing if we become a primarily “indoor” culture.” Adding that teaching a “run-ofthe-mill MBA businessperson to take up climbing or river running is a lot more difficult than teaching a person with a ready passion a job.” Young, rural people have repeatedly told us – and this sentiment transcends geography – is that when they work for a cool business that has purpose, then they will forgo income and endure some hardships of, for example, unsatisfactory housing, to work for a business that lives by its values, especially when those values

reflect their own. This is doubly the case if that business is in a place that they love and want to live. This is very clear in the Harris Distillery conversations that we had [see pages 18/19 in this issue of Tread]. Equally, the start-ups set up by young people are often embedded in the founders’ values and passions. This is true of Josse Haarhuis [see pages 20/21] who believes in building meaningful relationships with his communities and creating a local, social demand for his environmentally conscious pork. It is also true of Austen Morley [page 22/23] and Mary MacIntosh [page 26/27] who have set up their pop-up coffee truck and bakery business during the Covid pandemic – both have a commitment to sourcing locally and ethically. Two other dominant factors in young people setting up their own rural business are frequently gained by those who move away – for education or career – before returning to their rural roots. Here, what’s important is the support of their family or community in developing their venture, and the ‘worldliness’ that they have gained from their experiences. The latter point brings regular citations of how time away broadens thinking, prompts a more aware marketing mindset and gives ‘headspace’ to develop a business concept built on what they have seen or experienced. Time away adds to their appreciation of home, as well as an innate understanding of what business idea might work in the place they call home.

www.ruralyouthproject.com

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Anna Lamotteâ€™s guidance for rural start-ups 1. Good marketing. Retaining the perspective of an outsider to be able to connect with the needs of a diverse target market, establishing a clear brand image and leveraging power of social media to help communicate this. 2. Collaboration with others. For Anna, intergenerational connections have been vital to the success of the business; harnessing the wisdom and experience of the elders; and energy, passion, and vision of the young people. 3. Have a simple ethos, a clear vision and stay true to your values.

Anna at home on Perthshire

“It is vital to have a broad demographic of ages if rural communities are to survive.” - Anna Lamotte

PIONEERING PERTHSHIRE Growing up in the Perthshire countryside, Anna Lamotte had little idea she would later return to become a pioneering young businesswoman, just a stone’s throw away from the family farm of her childhood. After completing a degree in marine biology, Anna wanted to combine her love of baking and teaching children about growing food. Anna also explored Edinburgh’s restaurant scene, briefly considering a career as a chef. Unexpectedly, it was returning home to rural Perthshire to set up a family venture, that provided the platform Anna needed to innovatively marry these passions together in one place. She says that the rural venture “grew arms and legs” from its first incarnation as a few getaway huts and simple washroom facilities. Now Guardswell is now – in nonCovid times - a vibrant events’ space, hosting weddings, parties and workshops, alongside stunning accommodation, all of which attracts visitors from around the world. Anna is passionate about drawing people out to the countryside to experience the connection and relaxation that rural life affords, “we can encourage people who lead super hectic lives, to come out of urban areas and enjoy a rural setting. Here, people can reconnect with the outdoors, learn something new and have fun.” Anna’s enterprising spirit and flare for marketing has, to a large extent, been the backbone of their success - enabling Guardswell to develop a strong ‘brand’ that has wide reaching appeal. Harnessing the power of platforms such as Instagram, Anna has been able to capture the essence of this

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family business, celebrate the beauty and charm of their rural backdrop, and create a buzz around their creative ventures. The journey has not been without its challenges, and like many young rural people, both broadband and availability of affordable housing have been a challenge. Having established the core business, finding a suitable property nearby was vital for the around-the-clock profession. This took two and half years to secure. “Finding a house in a 5-mile radius here is extremely challenging. Abernyte is one of the closest villages but properties don’t come up for sale there. Affordability is a huge challenge to young people trying to live in this rural area.” Guardswell is a value driven family business, built on intergenerational collaboration, with community at the heart of what they do. Anna is passionate about future-proofing rural areas and caring for her community and has been involved in supporting the local school that is under threat of closure - an initiative passionately led by the thriving local community. “We’re fortunate here to have a very energetic community - however, it is slightly ill balanced with fewer younger families and residents in the area- but what happens when the older generation need looking after and there’s no young people in the community to keep an eye on them? Therefore, it is vital to have a broad demographic of ages if rural communities are to survive.” guardswell.co.uk /guardswell @guardswellfarm

Innovation spans Perth & Kinross

he Little Travelling Bookshop was the brainchild of Becca Flory who took solace in book-reading after suffering a pulmonary embolism. A trained lawyer, Becca began to think more about her life’s purpose during her recovery. On her Crowdfunder page – where she raised £7,725 from 108 supporters – she said: “Independent bookshops play a vital role in our communities. They’re a place to escape to when life gets too busy. Or to connect with like-minded people. A place to find books that affirm our beliefs, or challenge our perceptions, or build our empathy. “But for many people living in rural parts of Scotland, their nearest bookshop is miles away. That’s why we’re making it easier for you to shop for books, and enjoy the bookshop experience, by travelling to your communities in our vintage van.” From her converted Citroen HY van she will also sell coffee, cakes and small gifts such all sourced from Scottish producers. “We’ll also host engaging events that encourage people to get out of their homes and into social (albeit socially distanced) settings,” she added. Like many young start-ups, crowdfunding gave Becca the platform to raise the profile of her plans and the investment she needed to make her dream a reality. From spring 2021, Becca’s hope is that The Little Travelling Bookshop will be able to pop-up at fairs, festivals and markets, as well as in communities and schools all across Scotland. thelittletravellingbookshop.com @tltbookshop @thelittletravellingbookshop

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THE SOCIALLY-DRIVEN SPIRIT OF HARRIS W O R D S J A N E C R A I G I E , A L E X A N D E R M A C L E O D, S H O N A M A C L E O D & R E B E K A H M O R R I S O N

he Isle of Harris Distillery is in Tarbet on the Hebridean island of Harris. The business is rooted in the future prosperity of its island home. We find out what it’s like to be a part of the founder’s socially embedded vision – to build a business that is woven into the fabric of this remote place and one that hopes to help stem the tide of young people leaving the island. The Isle of Harris Distillery was the vision of a local man, Anderson ‘Burr’ Bakewell who had a long connection to the nearby island of Scarp and the landscapes and people of Harris. It opened its doors in late 2015. The founding team was made up of 10 people; numbers have now grown to 32 permanent staff, and the distiller represents a highly significant employer on an island with fewer than 2,000 total inhabitants. Importantly, like Bruichladdich on the more southerly Hebridean island of Islay, the Harris Distillery is an iconic, ‘cool’ business that attracts likeminded people and new ideas. Burr’s impetus for founding the distillery was his sadness in the long-term decline of the Harris population, where the community’s size has halved over the last fifty years. Central to his concern was the loss of the young people who left for the mainland to find opportunities, with few returning to work, or set down roots, in their island home. Shona Macleod, Guest Team Manager at the Harris Distillery, says, “our purpose is to create employment to keep people on the island. with the diverse jobs that people want nowadays, and to be a catalyst for other businesses to do the same. “We need to grow our own workforce,” she adds. “Some youngsters go off to study at university to study and experience life

away, but for those who want to stay, we’re providing some really nice opportunities that maybe didn’t exist before.” The business offers all-year round employment, which Shona said is important in a place where tourism is a big part of the economy and staffing opportunities fluctuate with the season. Alexander Macleod, the distillery’s previous Retail Manager, is in his 20s, he was brought up on Scalpay, which he describes as a “wee island off the mainland of Harris.”

“My time away gave me a whole different perspective and a pull to come back to the islands.” - Alexander Macleod

He went away from the island to work in finance roles for 10 years, before returning home and taking up a role at the distillery. “My time away gave me a whole different perspective and a pull to come back to the islands. “I felt very homesick whilst I was away; when you come from a small, rural place like this, it’s very close to your heart and that’s what I felt when I was living away that it wasn’t going to be for long,” he says. “It’s the connection that you have with people here, it’s part of you mentally and whenever you are away, you will never call another place home. This is always home.” He notes the great sense of pride that he and the team have and their desire to give a warm welcome to everyone who comes to the distillery, hoping that all visitors will leave as ambassadors.

Rebekah Morrison, aged 18, is an Apprentice Distiller, she comes from Bowglass on the Isle of Harris and originally started work supporting the kitchen staff in the distillery’s restaurant. Her job now involves making gin and filling casks with the spirit that she makes. “This place has been really good for young people to find the kind of job that they couldn’t before,” she said. Her hopes are that there are many more opportunities in the island’s growing food and drink sector. She describes it as “always expanding” with both Harris and neighbouring Lewis gaining a world-renowned reputation for iconic products like black pudding, gin and with “more distilleries popping up, it’s an area that’s constantly growing, which is really good.” Alexander at work in the distillery

Rebekah adds that there are a lot of challenges for young people living on the islands, the main one being finding a job, the second accommodation. “There’s no flats, it’s mostly just houses that are available which is very expensive.” Added to this, transport is an issue, “if you don’t have your [driving] licence you have a problem, because often busses don’t run at all.” However, she says that the good far outweighs the bad: “The distillery is like another family, it’s a real sense of community and it’s a stunning place to live, there’s nowhere like it in the world.” harrisdistillery.com @isleofharrisdistillers

Our insight

Believing in the young and the power of community

Guest Team Manager, Shona Macleod

The Rural Youth Project team sees huge value in businesses like the Isle of Harris Distillery and Bruichladdich Distillery on the Isle of Islay because they are a magnet for creative, driven people. Both businesses believe in the power of employing and mentoring local young people, because this also drives the future of the local community and economy. Like Hiut Denim in the small town of Cardigan in South Wales, and the world-famous Harris Tweed network of makers, they also believe in the passing on of skills and innate knowledge from the ‘Grand Masters’ - the term Hiut Denim’s founder David Hieatt gives the older, experienced makers - of their trade to the next generation. These businesses are all wedded by their firm belief in the power of community, even if they are spatially divergent. A common love of place, tradition and culture creates a whole that is more powerful and enduring than the sum of its parts. @hiutdenim @harritweedauthority

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“People are buying my product because they know I will do the best for the environment.”

Josse Haarhuis’s business tips 1. Go direct! Cut out the middlemen and involve the consumer in the process. 2. Work together. Leverage social capital to create a community around the business by finding common goals which will mutually benefit. 3. Lead by example – cultural change begins with you! Live what you preach both personally and professionally. Don’t tell people: demonstrate it can be done.

ANCIENT FARMING MEETS INSTAGRAM

pigme.nl

@josseharhuis

WORDS JANE CRAIGIE & JOSSE HAARHUIS

osse Haarhuis is a 23-year-old Dutch guy. With his partner, Stan Gloudemans, he runs..runs a very different pig farming enterprise to the nation’s instensive farming norm. Josse weds an ancient, outdoor foraging approach on land that he ‘borrows’ from willing landowners. He uses some of the smartest storytelling and selling we’ve seen via his channel of choice, Instagram. In just two years, Netherlands based Josse Haarhuis, has built PigMe, a flourishing business that produces high quality, high welfare pork. But that’s where the similarities to the 4,000+ other Dutch pig farms ends. Josse studied agriculture and entrepreneurship at Eindhoven University and had no previous farming experience. Yet he has entered pork production with a ‘disrupter’ attitude enabling him to spot opportunities where others see barriers. His approach is wrapped in the sentiments of his Z generation; he has a valuesdriven desire to meet the community and environmental needs of society. In a nation where the dominant pork rearing method is in large, enclosed climatecontrolled units, Josse’s herd of Mangalitsa pigs is ultra-free range. The only assets he owns are his 250 pigs, portable recycled plastic pig arcs, water drinkers and electric fencing to keep the inquisitive animals enclosed.

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The pigs are split into 12 smaller herds on different sites around Eindhoven, where Josse is a guest of the landowners. The pigs’ feed is manufactured from waste human food and Josse has a team of volunteers who undertake the feeding and daily checks of the animals. Josse is a problem solver, he looks to join dots and close gaps, and by responding quickly to market changes. Prior to the Covid pandemic Josse Haarhuis sold predominantly to restaurants, however, food service disruption forced him to rapidly increase direct-selling to the public, capitalising on the ‘buy local’ phenomenon that’s been experienced globally. One of the drivers for his business was to be an antidote to the current intensive farming model in the Netherlands; his view is that it “leaves many casualties - not least in the broken connection between producer and consumer.” Josse tells his story in person and through Instagram forging strong personal connections with customers and communities. His sales to restaurant chefs are based on him gaining a clear understanding of their needs. Several chefs have even hosted Josse’s pigs on their land which has been a unique selling point for a restaurant to be so closely involved with every stage of the farm to fork process, while demonstrating a lower environmental impact.

He has also successfully tapped into the social need of people to be connected to the land and animals. “Often pig sties can cause problems and smell. They are not always embraced by the communities - so I asked myself – ‘how can our pigs be good for the environment, good for the area and the people who live there?’ So, I just ask the people who live there to take care of my animals!” Through his unique business model, he is igniting a sense of pride in his customers who have a vested interest and a deeper appreciation for the meat rearing process. Simultaneously, he is adding value to his product. “People are buying my product because they know I will do the best for the environment,” he says. “Change starts with the consumers – you have to convince them, otherwise or you won’t see the change.” Several of his sites are also kindergarten schools. This has created a real buzz; the children love the piglets but are also learning about meat production. For Josse, this is important to share his view that it is “better to eat less meat but good meat where the animals have been happy.” With partnerships and community as the driving forces, Josse intends to grow his business to 500 pigs around the city. “Then we will stop and have a look back at what we’ve done; but it will always be about working together.”

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Case study

URBAN COOL TAKES TO COUNTRY ROADS WORDS JANE CRAIGIE & AUSTEN MORLEY

here’s a country anthem that speaks to every generation in the US state of West Virginia – John Denver’s Country Roads. Whilst he lives a long way from the Blue Ridge Mountains, the chorus line - “country roads, take me home, to the place I belong,” - seems very fitting for Aberdeenshire-based Austen Morley. Austen is just about to launch his pop-up espresso and cocktail bar which will be available to hire for weddings and events. The ‘bar’ is an iconic, fully restored 1971 Citroen HY van. Austen is in his early 20s. He left home, as many young people do, to study and then travel. His journeying took him to Australia and to London, yet he always had a yearning to come back to the calm of his rural home in Forglen, Aberdeenshire. “I grew up in a smallholding, farm setting, so it was always a part of my early childhood. Something about living rurally felt right. I guess, through growing up and the experience of going to university and travelling, I realised that the hustle and bustle was nice, but good to get back out of.

It was when he returned to the UK working in a sales job in London that he realised that rural places lacked the amenities of the big cities, which is where the idea of the van started. “I knew that the city life was never a longterm option for me, so decided to move back home to the countryside and to try and bring some of those good things that I experienced from the city back for rural people to enjoy.”

THE VAN Austen, and his father James, sourced the van from a farm in Holland. It has been completely stripped down and fully modernised with a new engine and chassis. “I’ve achieved what I wanted,” he explains; “a premium, slick look with a whole retro aesthetic going on. Hopefully we can draw some attention, we should be able to because it is looking so good.” He adds that, through the struggles of Covid, he has finally made his vision a reality. Austen’s plan was to launch over Christmas 2020.

“I never felt settled in the cities, I always felt like a switch was on and I could never switch it off, my mind never shut down and life was always go, go, go and I felt like I could never have that calm and grounded feeling in a place that I feel like I belong.

“We were going to be doing a pop up at my house to get a local network building up and hopefully a bit of support ahead of events opening up next year.” Of course, this plan was scuppered by the tightening of Covid restrictions in the run up to the festive period.

“I’ve always found a rural setting much more calming and always a place where I could switch off and disconnect, but having access to an urban area nearby, that’s cool because I can dip in and out of that when I like.”

“My plan was to act as a local pop-up for a few months until events hopefully start to open up in 2021,” he says. “Then the plan is to make the drinks’ bar a private event hire for weddings and corporate functions. I’m very excited to get going.

The passion that developed whilst Austen was from home, was for good coffee, and the places that serve it. “I guess my interest started when I was doing a 12-month backpacking trip in Australia where they have a massive coffee culture,” he says.

“We’ll be fully self-contained with a generator and a box trailer to transport the van to the hire location, so hopefully we can hit remote places in the countryside, and also bigger, more extravagant events as well.”

“I’ve achieved what I wanted: a premium, slick look with a whole retro aesthetic going on” - Austen Morley

SOURCING LOCAL Austen aims to take all of his supplies from as local as possible and his ethos is to support small Scottish, independent brands. Covid, he says, has given him time to do a lot of research into choosing the right suppliers who uphold his values of local, small, independent and ethical. “Our coffee beans are singly origin, ethically sourced directly from small farmers and are specifically roasted to order for me by Obadiah in Edinburgh. If I order on a Tuesday, the beans will be with me on the Thursday so are always really fresh. Their sourcing policy pricked up my ears and also my tastebuds – it’s really good coffee!” Dairy milk will also be sourced direct from farm, the supplier is the Fyvie-based Invercamey Dairy. “Their milk comes in traditional pint bottles, and while it’s not as convenient as conventional four-pint milk cartons, if I can reduce plastic, that’s a good thing too.” The van will serve ‘homebakes’ like flapjack and cookies which will be supplied by another young person - Alice Lane who runs Bakery Lane in Inverurie. Austen has also installed two tap draft

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beer dispensers, “so we can set up kegs for an evening function using local craft beers, as well as gins and whiskies from local distilleries,” he adds. He will have an EPOS system for popups and, when hired for events, he will offer an all-inclusive deal for his service and different “packages” of hot, cold and alcoholic drinks on top. His aim is to waste as little and possible, and to leave any leftover drinks with the customer at the end of the event. Austen wants to reduce the one-use disposable culture, so will encourage customers to bring their own cups; if they don’t, the take-away cups that he will be using will be compostable ‘vegware’ from Edinburgh, or customers can buy reusable cups from him. “I did a lot of research into disposable cups and a lot of them, even if they may be recycled and recyclable, a lot of your classic paper cups still go to landfill,” he explains. “I wanted cups that are compostable, and I will work with a service company, like ScotWaste, to take away the cups to dispose of properly.” He also plans to sell Huskee cups made from the husks of the coffee, adding that

they are good enough quality to use for ‘sitin’ customers. “Other Huskee-using cafes encourage customers to hand in their damaged or end of life cups, creating a closed loop network, which is also really appealing.” Austen has a traders’ licence for Aberdeenshire which will allow him to run pop-ups which he was planning to try out in the new year at home in Forglen, and then in either in Turriff or Inverurie. However, his plan is to focus more on private events to help create the special and exclusive aesthetic he is aiming for. For events Austen is a registered bartender, so has a personal alcohol licence, which covers him to run and serve alcohol when hired for private events. If it’s a public event, like a festival, he would need to apply for a public licence from the council, and is eligible for a number of these, every year. For pop-ups, he will man the van himself, and – “entering the world of employing staff” - plans to take on a bar-tender for the events’ season. Austen plans to market his new business via Facebook and Instagram and has a website: www.slaintemhathevents.com

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Case study

THE ART IN FARMING WORDS LAURA McCULLOCH & CLAIRE WILSON

laire Wilson has combined her two passions – farming and sketching to develop her fledgling business in South Lanarkshire. Her love of place and living rurally is what gives her the unshakable knowledge that she will always live in the countryside. This powerful emotional connection is one that the Rural Youth Project repeatedly hears back from its research and engagement with young rural people. A true country bumpkin at heart, Claire Wilson, who ia 27, has combined her passion for farming and art into a successful rural business. Claire’s roots go back to a small village - Broughton in Peeblesshire - where her family come from and still live. Growing up in the Scottish farming industry developed Claire’s love for livestock and other animals. She graduated from SRUC with a Higher National Diploma in Agriculture in 2014 and now lives at Castle Crawford Farm, in Biggar with her partner, James, who is a shepherd. “It’s nice to live on a farm; I was brought up in a little rural village, but my Grandad’s farm was just a walk over the hill and I was never away from the place growing up. My brother and I loved helping after school, weekends and holidays - especially during lambing time,” she says. “Whilst at university, I was genuinely a country comes to town girl. On nights out,

I had to take a minute to stop and look around to soak in what was actually going on. Catching trains or going out clubbing was very different to a walk down the village to our local bistro!”

Woolhandling Competition, making her the first person in the Northern Hemisphere to win a Golden Shears woolhandling title, and it was Scotland’s first Golden Shears title since 1990.

Her time away cemented her future, of which she says: “I will always want to live in a rural area.”

“Working in the shearing industry is in my blood. I really enjoyed my shearing experience, and I am always keen to do more. Everyone within that industry is so welcoming.”

Claire’s grandfather, father and brother are all heavily involved in sheep shearing, she has naturally developed the same love of sheep and is currently working with a livestock genetics company, AB - Claire Wilson Europe, as an embryologist for her sixth season.

“I love living rurally and on a farm. It sparks so many ideas and inspiration for drawings.”

“When I first got the job with AB Europe, I was sent over to Belfast as a technician. Coming from a quiet rural area, this was a huge thing, but it was so good for me. It made me so much more outgoing and really opened up my eyes to places out with my wee countryside village.” Now a keen jetsetter, Claire has travelled all over the world, including to Norway and New Zealand, where she worked as a woolhandler for sheep shearers. A highlight was winning the Novice Full-Wool,

Claire’s passion for sheep is what inspired her to start up Claire Wilson Art. Despite gaining an A in her practical Art and Design exam at school and being encouraged to apply to creative university courses, she could never picture herself in the creative industries. “It never crossed my mind to go down the artistic route because I wanted to do something outside on the farm and I guess I always thought I’d end up shepherding, as I just loved it. Then Summer 2012 we were rained off shearing, so I picked up a ‘blackie’

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CLAIRE WILSON Location: Crawford, Scotland Age: 27 Claire at work on the family farm

Challenges:

• Limited access to creative spaces and finding a platform to sell work. [Scotch Blackface sheep] journal and started sketching a tup as I loved the shine and detail on his horn. “After my grandad saw it, he started showing his friends, who then began asking for drawings, which led to a steady flow of commissions. The whole journey all literally started from picking up that journal on a rainy day.” Since 2016, Claire’s ideas and enthusiasm for drawing Scottish Blackface sheep, led her to start her very own business, producing fine art prints, gifts & homewares. “April 2016 was when I officially started my business Claire Wilson Art. I realised I was making enough money with commissions and knew I wanted to try going down an alternative route and create merchandise over that coming summer. “Every year since, I’ve introduced more merchandise with new designs and next up I’m hoping to bring out a fabric line. I have a list as long as my arm of products that I want to create. Time is the biggest enemy, unfortunately.” One business challenge Claire has found is poor rural internet connectivity. “Although the Wi-Fi is much better now, it took so long to create my website,” she adds. WIX, the website creation tool Claire used, relies on Wi-Fi to edit the website. “You really do need good connectivity to keep everything going, especially with

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running an online shop.” Claire says that she feels extremely lucky to live in a spacious farmhouse where she has a stock and a drawing room; she admits there are very few local spaces available if she did ever want a studio or shop. “There definitely needs to be more creative rural spaces for young people keen to set up businesses, however you need to make sure your making enough profit to cover the overheads.” She adds that finding an area that you know will be successful, with plenty of passing trade is vital as is encouraging the support of local businesses, especially during the pandemic. For now, Claire will combine her work with AB Europe and expanding Claire Wilson Art, as well as launching her new children’s story books Alfie’s Farming Adventures in 2021. She hopes to continue living rurally, where she can step out of her front door and be inspired by the countryside around her. “It’s so nice to think that when I settle and have children that I could have my own business and work at home doing something that I love. If you are really passionate about something and want to make it happen, it will happen.” /clairewilsonart @clairewilsonart.1

• Connectivity when creating business website and online shop. Solutions:

• Finding creative spaces that have passing traffic to ensure enough customers to cover overheads e.g. renting a studio or shop. • Embrace social media. Follow inspirational pages that will give you different ideas. Living rurally you need to be unique and support other businesses, not compete against them. Social media is a great tool to help spark ideas and provide networking opportunities. Claire’s Advice:

Set up a business pages and share all that you do. Create content that people love to see. Follow inspirational pages; whether it’s like minded businesses, or something completely different but you love their style, there are so many different and interesting ways of marketing to take on board. Living rurally, you need to be unique, stand out from the crowd but supporting other businesses is crucial too, it’s never a competition.

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Case study

LOCKDOWN BAKER WORDS LAURA McCULLOCH & MARY McINTOSH

ary McIntosh is based in Dumfries and Galloway in the far south west of Scotland. She launched her own rural baking business during lockdown. We explore what sparked Mary’s creative venture, the importance of ‘micro businesses’ to rural young people, and what it’s like being a farm-based young entrepreneur. With creative start-ups booming during lockdown, Mary McIntosh is a flourishing example of how young people living in rural areas can successfully set up innovative businesses. Growing up in a rural area, Mary has found that having the time to focus on her passion for baking, has helped get ‘Mary’s Mini Bakes’ off the ground. As with many young people, family inspiration is often a catalyst for business ideas. Mary says: “I’ve always been a keen baker and, when I was young, I used to bake for my grandparents. My Mum and my Granny Jamieson are avid bakers, and my Granny is an inspiration having been awarded a BEM [British Empire Medal] for her services to the local community.” After graduating from Herriot Watt University in 2020 with a First-Class Honours degree in International Business Management, Mary decided to combine her passion for baking with her drive to set up a business. What started as a lockdown project to bring a little happiness to the local community, has now developed into a successful rural micro-business, after just a few months. “Having just graduated, I’m working for the family farming business and for Luce Bay Plant Hire; I wanted a little bit of fun on the side, so decided to set up ‘Mary’s Mini Bakes’. Mary runs the cupcake-focused enterprise from her home kitchen at Laigh Auchneel Farm, which is situated on the outskirts of Stranraer. “I announce three cupcake flavours every Sunday on social media, which I deliver to customers’ doors every Friday; where possible I use local ingredients and all my advertising is done via Facebook and Instagram. I use the farmhouse kitchen - for which I pay my Mum a small amount of money each week - which helps [cost management] greatly,” adds Mary.

Mary at her home in Dumfries & Galloway

“My rural area is full of local talent and great ideas and things are always changing, which helps spark new ideas.” - Mary McIntosh

Our insight

Supporting other local businesses is something Mary has incorporated into her business ethos. “There are far too many big, branded items that fill our shelves and our local farmers, growers, and producers do not get enough recognition for their efforts. Hence why I try to incorporate them as much as I can in my cake making.” From sourcing local eggs, to using a local graphic designer to create signature Instagram story graphics, Mary is practicing what she preaches and has incorporated the hashtag #supportlocal into her social media posts. “I use eggs from Auchtralure Farm, allergy stickers and logo labels from WBS Signs, advertising highlights from Emma O Digital Designer, fresh flower decorations for large cakes from Andrea’s Florists and all the butter I use is Scottish. All of [these suppliers] are within a local radius of the farm kitchen,” Mary explains. Mary’s personal and professional approach has led to her gaining a great deal of recognition within the local area, with cupcakes selling out in increasingly record times. The popularity of the sweet treats has been reflected in her social media followers, having reached just close to 2,000 followers in just a few months. Her love for all things local, has also prompted Mary to donating boxes of Mini Bakes to a local Stranraer care home, and she through cakes sales has raised charitable funds for Wigtownshire Women Aid Cancer during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

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“Setting up a business in a rural area has been particularly good for networking. Relationships which I have built over the years have come in handy, and everyone (usually) is very willing to help and support me. “I have found it a very exciting journey. My rural area is full of local talent and great ideas and things are always changing, which helps spark new ideas.” Although, she added that setting up a business rurally was challenging at the start , particularly when it came to sourcing the supplies she needed. COVID-19 restrictions and the upsurge in home baking left some supplies hard to find, forcing Mary online. Having moved back home, after four years at university in Edinburgh, Mary feels that she has returned to her rural roots which has helped her develop her business and creativity. “I love the city and would love to travel but I’ll always be a home bird. If I ever did get the chance to expand [my business], but to keep it personal and with a ‘farmhouse baking’ style.” Looking ahead, Mary looks forward plans to develop her business and explore seasonal projects, such as her new Christmas products. She says: “The highlight for me is seeing the positive reactions and feedback from my customers, creating content for my socials, and thinking of new flavours. With a sweet tooth myself, my favourite cupcakes have to be Sticky Toffee or Chocolate Fudge.”

/MarysMiniBakes @marysminibakes

Micro-businesses underpin rural young lives Micro-businesses and social enterprises are invaluable to young people says Rural Youth Project cofounder, Jane Craigie. “Ultra-small turnover businesses, particularly those which benefit from the cost savings of home-based businesses, give young people three vital things, income, independence and insight into running a business. “A turnover of, say, £18,000 for a young person living at home can pay for the fundamentals that make life easier - a car, money a social life and cash flow to invest in building a business,” Jane says. “The independence that your own money brings, earned by something that you have built yourself, brings great self respect and confidence, as well as the wherewithal to address many of the challenges embedded in being young and rural. The distance from friends, shops and nightlife can be very damaging for mental well-being, something that has been compounded by the pandemic.” As we start to emerge from the pandemic, the Rural Youth Project’s focus will be on working with young people to build their self belief and spark their interest in setting up a business of their own. “Our support form our five LEADER LAGs has given us the investment to develop a Smart Village and enterprisefocused skills training; these activities will be vital for young rural people rebuilding their lives and confidence post-pandemic.”

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Report

OPTIMISM OF RURAL YOUNG PEOPLE HALVED DURING COVID-19 WORDS JANE CRAIGIE & ALANA BLACK

he Rural Youth Project recently launched a Qualitative report, including the results of the 2020 Covid-19 survey. Covid has dented the optimism of rural young people, amplifying issues such as isolation and loneliness.

72% to 40%], we’ve heard young people’s strong underlying desire to stay in rural places. It has cemented our view that we need to listen more, to support more and to encourage young people to reimagine rural places.”

The report digs deep into the sentiments of young people, which have been gathered via surveys, conversations and events over the past 30 months of the Rural Youth Project.

Alana also noted that the report will be an important learning tool for young people and rural communities. “We wanted this report to be a catalyst for knowledge exchange between young people, older leaders and communities who want re-think what ‘rural’ looks like in the future?”

Alana Black, Project and Communications Officer for the Rural Youth Project, said: “The lives of young people in rural areas are rich and vibrant. Our young people are resourceful, tenacious, and willing to tackle the challenges they face head on – but they need the right support. “For two years we’ve been listening to the voices of the under-30s living rurally and their issues of transport, housing, employment, building support, rural learning skills and education, connectivity, community and society, representation, intergenerational relationships, and rural resilience are all examined in the Qualitative Report, alongside the results of the Covid-19 survey. “Although the optimism of young people has nearly halved since lockdown [ from

The important points raised in this report relate to the underlying challenges that young people face. Covid-19 has had a compounding affect on the lives of 18-28 year olds, with many becoming even more isolated after losing their jobs and social lives.

“We need to listen more, to support more & to encourage young people to reimagine rural places.” - Alana Black

The Rural Youth Project’s post-Covid asks The post-Covid asks the Rural Youth Project is asking of policymakers, local authorities and rural communities are:

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Consideration is given to creating a ‘Rural Youth Business Fund’ where young people can apply for business or social enterprise start-up grants.

Incentives for established and new rural businesses to provide mentoring/ workspace or practical help for young people setting up local businesses, e.g. storage for machinery, hot desks etc.

Planning applications for renewable energy installations consider inclusion of community support specifically targeted at supporting young rural people, or organisations representing young rural people.

Utilise the strength of Scotland’s rural Development Trusts by offering them access to additional financial support to encourage young people to set up businesses or social enterprises with practical facilitation by the local Development Trusts and the local community

That national Planning Permission guidance could include flexibility to allow for housing and business premises to be developed specifically for the under 30s in a community, including the combination of the two needs in one development.

That ScotGov works with the Rural Youth Project and other representing youth bodies to encourage community councils, boards and local authorities to adopt a pro-youth inclusion on boards and working groups to ensure that young people’s voices are heard.

An increased commitment to ensuring super-fast broadband is available to all rural communities.

Consideration should be given to grants that assist communities with viable plans for inter-generational social enterprises, projects or businesses.

Establish a Rural Youth Task Force and give a ministerial responsibility for Rural Youth – Scotland’s Minister for Rural Youth.

10.

Government or local authority incentives for young people to establish their lives/businesses in remote or rural places with high dependency ratios

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LAUREN KELLY Member for Uddingston & Bellshill

THE SCOTTISH YOUTH PARLIAMENT

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

he Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) is the completely youth-led, democratic voice of Scotland’s young people. SYP’s vision is for Scotland to be a nation that actively listens to and values the meaningful participation of its young people. We speak to two Members – Laura Kelly and Victory Ekepurede.

I’m 18 years old, and the Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP) for Uddingston and Bellshill. Currently, I am a first-year legal studies and politics student. My Mum lives in Invergarry, so I have experience living in rural highland Scotland.

Why were you interested in becoming a MSYP? I was interested in becoming an MSYP to help create change in my local area. Throughout high school I saw many things wrong that I wanted to help with. I also took part in a lot of volunteering that was coming to an end and I wanted to do more.

What do you want to see changed, and how are you working towards these changes? A lot of what I would like to see changed is education-based and a fair bit of the change is in motion. Lots of work has happened within the Education and Lifelong Learning committee such as a Personal, Social, Health and Education (PSHE) review that I was very grateful to work on.

What personal development have you gained from being a MSYP? Over the last 18 months I have gained a lot of new experiences and personal development. I think some of the biggest skills are public speaking, which I was awful at in the beginning, confidence and the ability to put myself ‘out there’ and take on new opportunities that I usually wouldn’t.

What are you concerns and hopes about the future of young people in rural areas? I have a few concerns for young Scottish people that the recent pandemic has highlighted. With a change towards online working, a lot of rural areas don’t have the same reliable infrastructure as the cities. Uddingston didn’t have this issue, but, in

Invergarry, the Wi-Fi and mobile phone signal in the town is simply not good enough. My hopes are that more young people move from the big cities and get to experience living in quieter places. Having lived at the two extremes of rural and urban, rural Scotland definitely has my heart and there is so much to see.

If there were three things that communities could do to support and encourage young people to live and work in rural places, what would they be? A big thing would be for communities in these areas to modernise a bit. Retain the old traditions, but introduce new, more up to date activities.

The lack of amenities for young people living in the countryside compared to the cities tends to put them off wanting to live rurally.

Things can be more expensive and oftentimes rural people need a car to get to where they need to be, which can be an added pressure on young people because they can’t afford to drive which makes these places inaccessible, and if public transport is available it is usually more expensive and irregular.

Do you have any examples of really good youth-focused initiatives in your area that tackle the key challenges or bring opportunity? In my local area of Uddingston there are a lot of things to help young people. I have seen many extra-curricular clubs run in the evenings and on holidays, from youth-focused sports camps to knitting clubs. Many local small businesses hire older high schoolers or university students, which creates jobs for young people in the community. There are many local parks for hanging out with friends, places to walk and to have picnics.

“I hope in the future,... young people in rural areas will be able to have access to greater career opportunities in their local area.” - Victory Ekepurede

VICTORY EKEPUREDE Member for East Kilbride Tell us a little bit about yourself. I am the MSYP for East Kilbride. I am currently in my 5th year of high school and I am also an army cadet.

Why were you interested in becoming an MSYP? Honestly, because it seemed like such a fun and exciting experience that was worthwhile getting involved in. In my school I was (and still am) an anti-bullying ambassador and mentor in violence prevention (MVP), whilst also being heavily involved in ensuring that pupil voices are heard, so it only seemed natural to become an MSYP and continue the work I was doing on a different scale and within a new environment.

What do you want to see changed, and how are you working towards these changes? Going into SYP, I was really passionate about education and ensuring that every young person receives a quality education that reflects the vast range of experiences that exist within society. I would like to see

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a reform of the education system to more accurately reflect Black, Asian, and Ethnic Minority (BAME) experiences and celebrate the contributions these groups have made to Scottish society and culture.

If there were three things that communities could do to support and encourage young people to live and work in rural places, what would they be?

Currently, I am working towards this change by presenting a motion on the topic at SYP’s upcoming Sitting and also by personally educating and discussing with friends and others around me about the topic.

Firstly, I think that encouraging and making the option of foundation apprenticeships more widely available is a great way forward as it gives young people an alternative to the traditional university route whilst also being able to gain qualifications and work in a local business. Also, I think that community and housing association group meetings should ensure that young people are present and made aware of these meetings so they are informed about any developments in their area and can influence decisions concerning where they live.

What are your concerns and hopes about the future of young people in rural areas? One of my main concerns about young people in rural areas is that often they feel forced to leave their local area in search of better career prospects that may be more accessible for them elsewhere. However, I hope in the future, especially with the option of an apprenticeship becoming more widely available and encouraged, young people in rural areas will be able to have access to greater career opportunities in their local area.

Do you have any examples of really good youth-focused initiatives in your area that tackle the key challenges or bring opportunity? No, not really, however, I would love to see some in the near future.

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WALES FOLLOWS SCOTLAND’S LEAD WORDS FFION STORER-JONES

mulating the initial Rural Youth Project (RYP) survey conducted in 2018, Ffion Storer-Jones, a young Welsh farmer’s daughter and RYP Steering Committee member, aims to discover the hopes and challenges experienced by Wales’ rural young people. Here she outlines her approach and the wideranging support she has received. Rural young people are an underresearched population in Wales, as in many parts of the world. As a young person sharing similar frustrations as my peers in being ignored by decision makers, I wanted to do something about it. I started having conversations with academics, charities, politicians, businesses (and anyone who would listen), and we’d conclude that it’s concerning how badly understood rural young people are. How do we make rural Wales a place that we young people find attractive if we don’t understand our needs, or explore our ideas about how to solve some of the challenges faced by rural areas? How can young people contribute to their rural communities if we feel that what we have to say doesn’t seem to matter? Despite little experience in undertaking research of this kind, I decided that action was needed, and that I would work with others to undertake an initial piece of research to start to fill the data gap. I successfully submitted an application to the Henry Plumb Foundation to seek support to undertake a research project that would help paint a picture of young people in rural Wales’ concerns, ideas, frustrations and aspirations. Supported by the Foundation and working with rural organisations such as the Rural Youth Project, NFU Cymru, the Farmers Union of Wales and Wales YFC,

I’ve started to put plans into action. I’ve launched a short online survey, exploring topics such as transport and infrastructure, language and employment, mental health and skills. I’ll also be running a series of online focus groups, to delve deeper into the issues and ideas captured by the survey. Together with the information gathered from rural young people in Wales, I will be talking to individuals and organisations across Europe and the world who are involved in projects and programmes relating to rural young people. The future of rural areas rely heavily on retaining and attracting young people with skills and energy. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed all our lives, and the future is uncertain. I feel we’ve arrived at a junction, and we have the opportunity to carry on as before, or to do things differently. To think afresh and make bold changes, investing in what is needed to create vibrant and thriving rural areas, and in order to do this, young people must be listened to. Research undertaken by the Rural Youth Project in 2018 found that only 13% of respondents felt like they have their voice heard in their rural community. This has got to change. I hope the outcomes of this research will become a powerful tool that rural young people can use to raise their voices, and be heard. I’m hopeful this will be an important first step in creating positive change for rural youth, and in turn rural Wales. If you’d like to find out more about this project, feel free to reach out to me over on Twitter @ffion_storer or on ffion.storerjones@gmail.com.

@ffion_storer

Henry Plumb Foundation Started by Lord Henry Plumb in 2012, the Henry Plumb Foundation provides financial backing and support for those with ideas, enthusiasm and a wish to get ahead in the farming and food industry. Individuals who are successful in entering the programme receive individual grants and are allocated funding and matched with an experienced industry mentor. The application window for the next round of grants closes on the 5 March 2021. For more information, visit henryplumbfoundation.org.uk

The future of rural areas rely heavily on retaining and attracting young people with skills and energy.â€? - Ffion Storer-Jones

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WORDS JANE CRAIGIE

THE LAST WORD

he Covid-19 pandemic has been crushing for many people in society and recovery will take time, patience, and focus. For rural places, governments all over the world recognise that endemic issues in rural places need resolving.

Through our work, our listening to policymakers and young people and global organisations – WHO, OECD and the UN - three things are unifying in the future security of rural places – environmental responsibility, wellbeing, and repopulation of young people. Despite the tragedy of isolation, loss of livelihoods and the perennial issues cited by rural young people – housing, transport and earnings dominating – there are reasons to be hopeful. Via initiatives that the Rural Youth Project has been involved in during the pandemic – OECD’s Rural Innovation committee, running Ideas Cafes and a Rural Change Makers’ programme – we have encountered many examples of hope, enterprise, and re-focus amongst our rural young. Now is the time for rural society to listen, trust and mentor our young. It is important that we change the rhetoric of how we describe the under-30s, as well as to trust their vision and their actions; but mentorship also needs to encourage this generation to understand others and their place in multi-generational communities. As we look forward to the future of the Rural Youth Project, we are planning more research and focus groups – into cool rural businesses and design-thinking approaches to tackling challenges

“Now is the time for rural society to listen, trust and mentor our young.” - Jane Craigie like housing – we will maintain impetus in our storytelling via our podcast, magazine and digital activities; we will build our Rural Youth Project Smart Village and look forward to partnered, and stand-alone, Ideas Festivals. We also plan to run learning journeys to Finland, the US and to diverse regions of the UK and Ireland. And to work with OECD on what Rural Innovation looks like for the future. We are eternally grateful to LEADER and the Scottish Government for their belief and support, and what it has enabled us to do in sharing the needs of young people and giving them platforms to share their voices. Our LEADER funding ends in February of 2021. We will continue to self-fund this project but will be much stronger if we can partner others and source funding to keep our momentum. If any person, charity or organisation would like to talk to us about collaborating, we are all ears. @janecraigie

February Launch of Rural Youth Project vloggers where 15 young people honestly captured the challenges and opportunities they face living in a rural and remote area April Rural Youth Project survey closed with 755 responses from young people across the world. 12 founding partners come on board to support the Rural Youth Project July Rural Perth and Kinross LEADER commit funding to first Rural Youth Project Ideas Festival August 110 young people from 10 different countries come together for the first Rural Youth Project Ideas Festival held in Kinross Launch of the survey results where 72% of young people say they are optimistic about the future Rural Youth Project resgisters as a company by limited guarantee with a charitable constitution

May Intergenerational learning journey to the Netherlands in partnership with Scottish Enterprise Rural Leadership Programme. Rural Youth Project delegates were kindly funded by Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland

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February Rural Youth Project inspires European forum in Brussels hosted by two delegates from the 2019 Ideas Festival April Mental Health Webinar hosted in partnership with RSABI and Support in Mind Scotland for young people feeling the effects of lockdown Covid-eos Campaign engaged five young people across Scotland to vlog their lockdown experiences

July Royal Bank of Scotland entrepreneur accelerator programme launched in partnership with Rural Youth Project, SAYFC and NFUS Next Generation

May RYP launched a Covid-19 survey to see how the pandemic has effected young people in rural areas

September Rural Youth Project secures LEADER funding from five Local Action Groups: Angus, Lanarkshire, Outer Hebrides, Rural Perth and Kinross and Scottish Borders

August Grand opening of the first virtual Ideas Cafe Climate Webinar held in partnership with YouthLink Scotland facilitated by young people in the Rural Youth Project community

Communications and Project Officer and Administration and Bookkeeping officer appointed as staff as part of the LEADER funding

Announcement of first Rural Youth dedicated Smart Village September Launch of Qualitative Report and Covid-19 survey results which found that the optimism of young people has halved due to the pandemic

September Steering Committee established October Received Highly Commended Award at the Helping it Happen Awards

Launch of Young Rural Change Makersâ€™ Programme

RYP Director, Jane Craigie, presents at the 12th OECD Rural Development Conference in South Korea

November Shortlisted for top Rural Business Awards Rural Youth Project Directors asked to sit on the Scottish Government working group for rural recovery

November 2nd Rural Youth Project Ideas Festival held at Wiston Hall in Lanarkshire brought together 60 young people for workshops, networking and inspirational speakers

December Rural Youth Project Smart Village Digital Champions announced

2021

October Parliamentary reception held in partnership with LANTRA

January Rural Youth Project announced as finalists for Scottish Rural Awards

2020

January The brainchild of Jane Craigie and Rebecca Dawes, the Rural Youth Project was established in early 2018 with the launch of an in-depth survey to find out the needs and aspirations of young people in rural areas

2019

2018

RYP TIMELINE

January 2021: First edition of Tread magazine released

Tread Magazine - Issue 1