Hinterland
Rural News
Capel Manor: UK’s only saddle-making course at risk
A sad little starting point for Hinterland this week – let’s hope this urban based but rurally relevant course survives! Capel Manor College in Enfield, north London, is home to the UK’s only saddle-making course. About 10 students from around the world graduate from the course every year, with many going on to work with […]
Museum of the Year: Natural History Museum among nominees for £120,000 prize
This article makes me reflect on the really important role of local heritage in rural (in this case Orkney) settings. The Natural History Museum in London and Orkney’s former Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow are in the running to be named the UK’s Museum of the Year. They are joined on the shortlist for […]
Labour wants NHS to tackle heart and suicide deaths
Suicides in rural settings are a big issue and whilst we should absolutely not suggest one tragedy is any less serious than another their relative high incidence in farming communities makes this policy agenda, without taking political sides, interesting! A Labour government would aim to reduce deaths from heart disease and strokes by a quarter […]
Almshouse residents may live up to two and a half years longer, study finds
I would have guessed this might be the case but a really interesting piece of research which tells us: Poor, older people living in almshouses enjoy longer lives than far wealthier people living elsewhere, a study has found. The secret to longer life has been intensely sought after for centuries. But research using data from […]
Class sizes in England could go up to 60 warn heads in funding pay row
I am not sure enough has been done to work out the spatial dimension of the current challenges facing rural schools in overview. This makes this a very interesting article. In speaking of local school funding challenges it tells us: A senior leader in a large multi-academy trust, speaking anonymously to avoid alarming parents, said: […]
Hot air balloon interrupts Sussex kids cricket match
As always I like a balloon based rural story! This tells us: We’ve heard of rain or bad light stopping play, but never a hot air balloon. But that is exactly what happened during a cricket match in West Sussex. Chiddingfold U10s were playing Blackheath U10s at Lurgashall, in Chichester, when the interruption occurred. Jim […]
Prince Louis drives a digger as he joins volunteering efforts
We all know rural England is brimming with social capital so perhaps best that the royals target their efforts to bring more forward in Slough….. Prince Louis has been driving a digger as part of volunteering efforts on the final day of Coronation celebrations. The five-year-old, along with brother Prince George and sister Princess Charlotte, […]
Woman rescued from top of church tower in Cornwall
The risks some people take as part of the ongoing support for our monarchy! This story tells us: A woman has been rescued from the top of the highest church tower in Cornwall. She became ill after climbing the tower in the village of Probus, near Truro, on Sunday afternoon, rescuers said. The tower had […]
Calls for removal of Keynsham ‘optical illusion’ cycle lane
This story leaves me unclear as to whether it’s the cyclists or the pedestrians or both who are being injured. What is for sure is that we have clearly not solved the challenge of integrating the two in modern small urban (or indeed any type of) settings!! In March 2022, a new cycle lane was […]
Cornish farm launches project to triple UK’s temperate rainforest
I say the nature offer of rural in these islands is not fully managed or facilitated and I’m very pleased to see another example of something good in that context in this story! Which tells us: Tripling Britain’s temperate rainforest is the goal of a new charity founded by a veteran of the war in […]
UK mortgage lender to offer first 100% loans since 2008 crisis
I think we should say three cheers to the Skipton Building Society for seeing the potential of this product particularly for those hard working individuals who in life have only themselves to rely on to get a start on the property ladder! A leading lender plans to launch a 100% mortgage aimed at would-be first-time […]
Powys: Spoof £25,000 airport sign makes a welcome return
I know this is a story from Wales but it’s so good I had to include it in and finally….. It is the mid Wales landmark that started out as a joke and lasted for 20 years. Now, it is making a comeback. Up until last November, there was a billboard for Llandegley International on […]