A labour of love – the future of funding systems

By OTBAugust 26, 2021 Shared learning, Uncategorised collaboration, funding, sustainable communities Leave a comment

The future of funding systems for projects like Rural Wisdom A labour of love Getting funding to support community development projects, like Rural Wisdom, has often been an un-paid and precarious labour of love. Many hours are often spent shaping a project to meet a particular set of criteria, filling in forms, gathering evidence and…

Creating space for rural voices

By OTBAugust 25, 2021August 25, 2021 Active & connected, Housing & fuel poverty, Older people having a voice & leading change, Rural Wisdom Scotland, Rural Wisdom Wales, Shared learning, Uncategorised Leave a comment

Earlier this year we designed and hosted a series of online webinars that brought together individuals and organisations from across Scotland and Wales. Shared learning has always been an important part of Rural Wisdom and we’ve been learning new ways of doing this since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the lockdowns and…

Rural Wisdom driving policy change

By OTBAugust 18, 2021 Older people having a voice & leading change, Rural Wisdom Wales driving policy change, having a say, Rural Wisdom Wales Leave a comment

Rural Wisdom driving policy change Having a say about policies that affect us One of our aims is giving older people in Wales and Scotland more opportunities to influence policies affecting them. Rural Wisdom made strides in this direction before the pandemic, building connections with the Scottish Parliament, Older People’s Commission in Wales Office, and…

The mouse have landed in Solva!

By OTBJune 14, 2021June 14, 2021 Contributing to age-friendly communities, Rural Wisdom Wales, Support that older people want

We bring you today’s blog courtesy of our friend Lena Dixon from Solva Care. Solva Care is a registered charity set up by the community residing in the parish of Solva and Whitchurch in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Solva Care aim to improve the health and wellbeing of their community by enabling residents to stay in their…

How Rural Wisdom learned from Covid

By OTBApril 14, 2021June 23, 2021 Rural Wisdom Scotland, Rural Wisdom Wales

Anne Connor, Chief Executive, Outside the Box (lead partner) Rural Wisdom is exploring how rural communities in Scotland and Wales can work as people get older. Our outcomes include older people having a stronger voice, shaping the way their communities work, and influencing policies and practice. We began in early 2017 and our plans for…

National Rural Mental Health Forum – Reflections from Fi Thomson, Development Worker

By OTBApril 7, 2021April 7, 2021 Living well, Rural Wisdom Scotland

Jim Hulme is the convener of this lively and well attended forum underpinned by Support in Mind Scotland. It includes charities from all over Scotland. Those of us who live in the remoter parts of Scotland, either on the mainland or the islands, have the benefits of majestic views, space and a gentler pace of…

Rural Wisdom Evaluation – What we are hearing from Scotland?

By OTBJanuary 15, 2021January 20, 2021 Burghead, Hopeman and Cummingston, Contributing to age-friendly communities, Eaglesham and Waterfoot, Evaluation, Highland Perthshire, North Angus, Rural Wisdom Scotland, Scottish Borders

As part of the evaluation in Scotland, we have gathered people’s experiences and impacts from local areas. These are some of the things we have been hearing around the impacts for people

Fuel Poverty and Cold Homes in Moray

By OTBDecember 16, 2020January 20, 2021 Burghead, Hopeman and Cummingston, Housing & fuel poverty, Rural Wisdom Scotland

Our Rural Wisdom project works alongside Burghead and Cummingston, two small villages on the Moray Coast. They are off the gas grid and people have been telling us that they are struggling to heat their houses due to rising prices and lack of fuel choice.

Creating a butterfly garden

By OTBSeptember 29, 2020January 20, 2021 Active & connected, Contributing to age-friendly communities, Holywell, Leeswood and Pontblyddyn, Living well, Milford Haven, Rural Wisdom Wales, The Dale Peninsula

By Shereen Devine and Rachel Evans We are six months in, and the pandemic continues to highlight loneliness, isolation and the frustrations that come with the lockdown. To address these issues, local colleagues are looking into reviving the Pembrokeshire Befriending Network. In the meantime, we continue to provide support for people who are still shielding…

Care Homes and Communities – our recent experience and what has helped

By OTBJuly 30, 2020January 20, 2021 Contributing to age-friendly communities, Living well, Rural Wisdom Scotland

The role of care homes has been so important over the past few months, and many communities have realised that they can help people who live there and staff who work in care homes. These are some of the things that we have been hearing about – both where the community helps the care home…