The Scotsman Bulletin Tuesday November 26 2024 #Iona

The Scotsman

Dale catches up with Scotsman rural affairs correspondent Katharine Hay to talk about new technological developments on the island of Iona as excited resident prepare to embrace super fast broadband for the first time

Transcript

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.

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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.

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