New project to make rural better for older people

A new five-year project will help develop rural communities that are older-people-friendly.

The Rural Wisdom project is a partnership between Outside the Box, Volunteering Matters Cymru and National Development Team for inclusion. The project has recently been awarded funding of £975,370 from the Big Lottery Fund.

The aim of the project is that rural communities across the country are working as well as they can for older people.

The project came from people telling the project partners that living in a rural area raises particular issues for people as they get older as well as opportunities for older people to contribute to their communities. Over the next five years the Rural Wisdom project will work with people in Scotland and Wales to address these issues and learn from each other. 

Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn said:

"The Rural Wisdom project will ensure that older people in both Scotland and Wales will have their voices heard about things which matter most to them. It is a great example of how National Lottery funding can make a real difference to people’s lives and specifically the lives of older people living in rural communities. We were very impressed with the partnership approach embedded in this application and how this will also help inform learning from the project. I am sure that it will bring many benefits to those involved, including boosting confidence and skills and empowering older people to participate in and shape activities within their local areas."

Want to know more?

• Visit the Rural Wisdom website to find out more about the project
• Sign up to our Rural Wisdom newsletter for occasional e-updates about the project
• Read Outside the Box's blog on the BIG Lottery funding announcement
• If you have any thoughts on this project or it connects with any work that you are doing, Outside the Box would love to hear from you. Contact them at anne@otbds.org or call 0141 4190451

Job opportunities

Outside the Box are recruiting two part-time Development Workers who will each focus on the new Rural Wisdom project in a local area. They are also recruiting a full-time member of staff to work alongside a range of local groups and projects. Visit the Out of the Box website for more information.