You are in > Home > News & Events > News > What Makes Resilient Rural Communities? – Battleby Conference Summit Seeks to Clarify Understanding

What Makes Resilient Rural Communities? – Battleby Conference Summit Seeks to Clarify Understanding

SAC News Release Ref. No: 11N133
Published: 31 Oct 2011

Rural communities are being urged by policy makers to become more ‘resilient’ in response to the economic, social and environmental changes threatening their future wellbeing. In practice this can mean anything from diversifying the local economy to taking ownership of local assets or running the local day care centre. Is the term ‘resilience’ just the latest ‘buzz word’ or does it offer something of real value to people in our remote and rural areas?

Over 50 academics, decision makers and rural community activists meet at Battleby, Perth on the 1st of November to examine different scientific approaches to thinking about and developing community resilience. It is part of the UK wide Economic and Social Research Council ( ESRC) “Festival of Social Science”  and organised by SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) and the Centre for Rural Health* (UHI). The event will showcase research about what types of communities cope best with adversity and how governments, public services and Third Sector organisations can boost rural resilience.

Representing SAC will be Dr. Sarah Skerratt, who recently visited all of rural Scotland’s 17 community land trusts, investigating their impact on rural community resilience. Dr. Sarah-Anne Munoz of CRH (University of the Highlands and Islands) will talk about a European project which tested whether older people could set up and run local services for other older people.
 
According to Dr. Skerratt:

“Community resilience is being talked about more and more by researchers, practitioners on the ground, and in policy statements and ambitions. Given this, it’s really important for us to share the range of understandings of ‘resilience’. This ESRC event gives the opportunity for practitioners to hear what researchers are trying to understand, and for practitioners to ask questions and query how researchers are taking forward this important research area.”

Dr. Munoz said:

“Our research confirmed that older people have an important part to play in building more resilient rural communities. Their experience, talents and wisdom make them potential ‘social entrepreneurs’ who can help design and deliver services. However for this approach to work, older people themselves need to be involved in deciding which services are appropriate for communities to deliver.”

Other key speakers at the event include Professor Keith Shaw of the Department of Social Sciences at Northumbria University. He is the author of over 60 articles on urban regeneration, local and regional governance, and the community and voluntary sectors. He will be joined by Nina Mguni, a Senior Associate of the Young Foundation who leads their Wellbeing and Resilience Practice.

Contact detail: Sarah Skerratt can be contacted on: sarah.skerratt@sac.ac.uk; or 07768 428 454.

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

News Release Contacts

SAC Contact

Dr Sarah Skerratt
Senior Researcher
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, King's Buildings, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4335

Add to Address Book | Help

News Release Issued By

Mr Ken Rundle
Senior Communications Officer
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, King's Buildings, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4196

Add to Address Book | Help