00:00Hello, and welcome to the Scotsman's daily video bulletin for this Tuesday.
00:05My name's Darren Miller, I'm Deputy Editor of the Scotsman, and I'm joined by our
00:09Rural Affairs Correspondent, Catherine Hay.
00:13Hello, Catherine.
00:14I know you're coming to us from outside the Central Belt.
00:16Yeah, morning from up near Inverness, near Bewley.
00:21Wonderful.
00:22Let's talk about the front page of the Scotsman firstly before we get around to
00:28what Catherine's been writing on recently.
00:30We led today with a new Christmas campaign that we're launching in conjunction with
00:37the Syrenians.
00:38It's about the homelessness crisis that is deepening here in Scotland, and figures
00:44have soared by 10% in Scotland's biggest cities.
00:49In particular, at the sharp end in Edinburgh, the rates or the growing rate of
00:53homelessness is higher.
00:55For anyone that has seen evidence of this around Scotland's cities, tragic
01:00circumstances and amid an ongoing cost of living crisis is a real issue.
01:06We've joined with the Syrenians to try and fundraise to tackle this problem as part of
01:11their campaign and the build-up to Christmas.
01:13I'd encourage anyone that could to support that campaign because it is important and
01:19should go towards helping a lot of people who are struggling in the build-up to Christmas
01:25and will across the festive period and through into next year.
01:28So you can read that full story at scotsman.com.
01:31Also, the front page picture there, we are a partner with the St Andrew's Book Festival
01:36taking place in London.
01:37That kicked off yesterday.
01:39Exciting lineup of guests, and we will bring you the latest coverage from that across the
01:44week.
01:45Catherine, you've been writing about a whole range of things, really, but firstly, I wanted to talk to you
01:51about Iona, a location that probably Scotsman readers will be familiar with, but a new
01:58development there.
02:00Yeah, so I should have probably mentioned when you introduced me that I've paused the walk just for now
02:05because of the weather.
02:07But just before I packed up the tent and came indoors, I was on the West Coast where you've got
02:14the Isle of Lismore and the Isle of Mull and the Isle of Iona.
02:18And the story that we have on the Scotsman today is about Iona being given ultra-fast internet,
02:25ultra-fast broadband, Openreach have been installing this over the last, well, they're beginning to
02:30install it, sorry, on the island.
02:32And yeah, just walking in that area, I noticed that it was quite difficult for some residents and
02:40small businesses.
02:40They often kind of curse the internet speed or curse the lack of signal.
02:46So, yeah, it's certainly going to be a huge development for people there.
02:51I called some contacts I had on Iona, I never got there myself, but spoke to a few residents there
02:56yesterday just to ask what they thought about this development.
02:59And it's interesting because I think as a visitor, tourist, an incomer even, you might sort of enjoy
03:07the peace and that there's no internet.
03:09But for residents actually living there who are running their own businesses, it is a nightmare.
03:14And just got a lot of, you know, can't wait.
03:16And yeah, we've been waiting for this for ages.
03:20And just one woman said, you know, finally, we're going to be connected to what's going on on the
03:24mainland and the outside world.
03:26So it kind of just shows up how they have felt very left behind given just purely the internet not being
03:31that strong.
03:33But I think it's just it's quite significant because Iona is such a, they call it the kind of the
03:38cradle of Christianity in Scotland.
03:40It's got the monastery that dates back to the 6th century and all this history.
03:44So it's quite an interesting sort of contrast.
03:46But yeah, obviously, there are people who live there.
03:49There are people who run businesses.
03:51And it swells, the population swells to about, well, I don't know, thousands of people go there in the
03:56summer months and pilgrims as well because of it being such a religious sort of spot.
04:02So, yeah, I think just that's an interesting development.
04:05It's part of this R100 program that the government has reaching 100 percent, I think it's called.
04:11And they've got a few, I think it's about 40 islands that they're looking at to sort of try and bring up
04:16to speed with the ultra fast internet facilities.
04:20So I think the next one they said they're working on is Tyree, which will be interesting, much smaller,
04:26much less populated, but equally, you know, people live there, people run businesses.
04:30So equally important as well.
04:32And we know, you know, that these locations get a number of visitors as well.
04:36So, you know, there's a multifaceted reason for them to have those connections.
04:42And Catherine, as someone that travels on the train from Fife in Edinburgh and goes through a couple of knot
04:46spots, I can tell you it's not just the islands that can have connection issues as well.
04:52One other story that you've written up, and it's a heartwarming one.
04:57We've read a lot about bumblebee populations on the decline.
05:02In recent years, but this is a good story.
05:05Yeah, we've all probably been there when you've either yourself or someone else has desperately got a teaspoon
05:11with sugar and water trying to save a bumblebee that's kind of dying slowly, which is a really tragedy
05:18because they're so important.
05:19They're obviously essential for us when it comes to pollinating so that we can have a bit of food on our plate.
05:25I think that's, yeah, I remember the remarkable figure of, I think we'd have five years to live as humans
05:31if bumblebees died out.
05:32So, yeah, it just kind of shows their importance.
05:35I mean, don't quote me on that, but they are vital to the ecosystem and to humans as well.
05:41So, yeah, it was really amazing.
05:44I don't think I've seen such a kind of headline from a rewilding project like that at all, really.
05:51Especially I think what was particularly interesting about this piece was just the time frame.
05:55I mean, two years, that's just nothing in terms of, you know, when you're looking at rewilding projects and
06:00planting, you're looking at sort of 50 to 100 years.
06:03Often these huge projects, that's what we usually see with these rewilding projects kind of at scale.
06:08But it's just so important to not overlook where these more, these kind of green spaces and more developed
06:15areas are doing work as well.
06:17There's actually another group down in Ayrshire as well who are kind of focusing on kind of rewilding sort of
06:23green areas amongst towns.
06:26And, yeah, they do so well for insects.
06:28It's so important to, yeah, just because you live in a city or a town to think, oh, well, I can't really do my bit
06:33because I live in a built up area.
06:35I mean, this story just shows that that can be done.
06:39It's Denmarkfield just north of Perthshire.
06:41There's a lot of kind of farmland around there and it's becoming increasingly more built up.
06:47It's a new road that's going to be put in.
06:49And, yeah, the bumblebee population gone from 35 in 2021 to over 4000 just last year.
06:58That's an incredible achievement for this group to have got to that figure.
07:03And also not only that, the species, the individual types of bumblebee have also increased.
07:08So, yeah, and that's all that was, was just allowing wildflowers to come through, through barley fields.
07:15And a woman who was quoted in the story was just saying also just visually, it looks so much nicer to walk through.
07:23And so it's sort of, it's interesting, yeah, these projects, whilst it's good for nature, it's
07:28also kind of helping people feel a bit more proud and settled where they live.
07:32If they can sort of go out and feel like they're in nature, even if it's just around the corner from a town.
07:37So it's sort of a win-win for both people and nature, this sort of project in these more urban areas.
07:44Yeah, Kathleen, a great reminder for why rewilding projects across the country can be so important.
07:50You can read both of those stories at Scotsman.com.
07:54They're prominently on the homepage, but you'll also find them in the Hay's Way section, which if you scroll down the homepage,
08:02you'll find that it gets regularly updated with pieces followed by Catherine from wherever she is around the country.
08:11Catherine, thanks for joining us.
08:12To everyone else, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
08:16We're on Blue Sky. We have been for a week and a half.
08:18If you're on that platform, please follow us and go out and pick up a copy of the paper tomorrow.
08:23We will have all the latest news coverage, including from the UK Supreme Court case discussing the definition of what is a woman.
08:31That'll be in your paper tomorrow.
Comments