Elderly 'vital to rural revival'

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By Catherine Marston UK specialist correspondent, BBC News Marion Thompson, who is 80, uses a video link to talk to her local council

Researchers at Newcastle University say Britain is wasting the talents of its older generation in rural areas. They say that with better services the elderly could be a positive force in the countryside.

Within the next 20 years the number of people over 75 living in the countryside is predicted to go up by around 80%.

One those already there is Marion Thompson, who lives in the beautiful and remote village of Gunnerside in the Yorkshire Dales.

Marion is 80 years old and yet you'd never know it. She's on the internet and uses a video link to talk to her local council many miles away in Richmond.

There is no Post Office in Gunnerside and no local shop. The internet has become vital to keep in touch with the outside world.

If you want to get away from it all, this is where you should come.

'Not too insular'

The village is sleepy and quaint, but Marion and her friends are anything but sleepy.

Newcastle University's report says that too often we stereotype our older people as dependent and "in need" when in fact they actually want to be socially and economically active.

That is certainly true of Marion and her friends - Val aged 69 and Florence aged 74. <a class="" href="/1/hi/uk/7495802.stm">Reaching out to rural elderly</a>

They love their weekly luncheon club and regularly join in activities at the village hall and the Women's Institute.

"We are very versatile at getting things sorted," says Marion. "So we have a luncheon club, we don't want to be too insular."

But there are only a couple of buses a day and the rising cost of fuel is really restricting the ladies' lives.

Without services such as a GP surgery or shop in the village they feel they are not living their lives to their full potential.

"My doctor is over in Hawes," explains Val, "That's a 24-mile round trip. So you don't rush off to the doctor's quick, here. My husband's getting on in years and he'll not be able to drive especially after dark, so we're really restricted."

Transport and heating

The report says the government needs to tap into the expertise of the older population, especially when it comes to deciding what services to provide.

No-one knows better what will improve the quality of life than these people themselves.

Not surprisingly, they believe fuel costs for both transport and heating are having a huge impact.

"We're going to have to be more careful," warns Val. "When we retired I thought we had sufficient to see us out, but now I'm getting a bit worried, the costs have escalated so much.

"Certainly people will be adding more clothes instead of putting the heating on, and it'll lead to hypothermia cases for sure."

On the positive side, researchers say this generation is wealthier, healthier and more active than ever before.

With the right resources and government encouragement to get them participating in the economic growth of their areas, researchers believe older people can be a positive and driving force for rural areas.