Along with Felicity Humphrey, the Public Affairs Manager from Acre, Action with Communities in Rural England, our Chief Executive Graham Biggs appeared on the BBC Radio 5 Lunchtime show on 1st April.  

Felicity focused on rural transport and discussed the problems that young people face accessing post 16 education and employment.  A video of her attempt to get to work by public transport rather than car is available below:

The video highlights the difficulties she faced with what would normally be a half hour journey by car, taking over 3 hours by bus with several changes! The reality is that this experience could deter young people from living in rural areas and seeking employment, resulting in the worrying migration of young people out of rural areas.

Graham highlighted the need for a Rural Strategy and the importance of rural proofing.  The Rural Services Network is calling on Government to develop a Rural Strategy.  

"Rural Communities are frequently overlooked in a policy environment dominated by urban thinking and policy concerns. This often means communities either miss out on the benefits or experience unintended consequences from policies which are poorly thought-through from a rural perspective. It is time for this ‘rural mainstreaming’ to stop. People living in ours towns and villages simply cannot afford to wait any longer for politicians to take their concerns seriously and act on them,” said Rural Services Network chief executive, Graham Biggs.

More information about the campaign can be found by clicking on the image below where you can also sign up your support.