Buying local 'worth £60m' to Highlands
THE economy of the Highlands and Islands could be boosted by nearly £60 million a year if shoppers bought the equivalent of a punnet of strawberries a week locally, according to a survey.

There are valuable lessons to be learned from Scots' rural past
PIERS DIXON says children should be taught more local history, at the start of a campaign to bring our heritage back to life

Homes plan 'reverse of the Clearances'
HISTORY will always associate Sutherland estates with forced evictions during the notorious Highland Clearances.

Appeal of life in the country puts a rural home beyond locals' reach
HOUSE prices in rural Scotland are soaring above the cost of city dwellings, with first-time buyers and locals priced out of the market by wealthy incomers.

Celebrity postcards up for grabs
A COLLECTION of postcards drawn by celebrities including Chris Tarrant, Jon Snow and Dame Ellen MacArthur was set to go under the hammer in London today.

Cheap rural petrol scheme rejected
A PLAN to bring in a discount scheme that would cut fuel duty for drivers in rural areas was defeated in the House of Commons.

Call for fuel price cut in Highlands
DRIVERS in remote parts of the Highlands and Islands should pay less duty on fuel than other parts of the UK, according to the Liberal Democrats.

Swinney battles for village post offices
IT HAS a hotel, a primary school and a shop - but Duror no longer has a post office.

McCrone to lead RSE inquiry into future of hill and island regions
THE Royal Society of Edinburgh yesterday announced that it is to conduct an inquiry into the future of Scotland's hill and island areas.

Warning of threat to way of life in some rural areas
SOME of Scotland's hill and island communities could be at risk from policy changes affecting the countryside, it was claimed yesterday.

Academics seek rural solutions
SCOTLAND's leading academic institution, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, is to carry out an independent inquiry into the future of the country's fragile hill and island areas, it was revealed yesterday.

War of words as parties woo rural voters
THE political pundits are in general agreement that the outcome of the Holyrood elections in May is too close to call. However, it is clear that the animosity between the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats is mounting almost on a daily...

The last post?
ROMANTIC types may listen out for the snap of the letterbox on Valentine's Day, but there's no denying our dependence on the postal service is fading. And yet in some places it keeps communities alive.

SRPBA launches 'listen to the countryside' manifesto
THE Scottish Rural Property and Business Association, formerly the Scottish Landowners Federation, yesterday launched its "manifesto" for the Holyrood elections in May. The basic theme is "listen to Scotland's countryside".

Town vs Country
In the week that the General Register Office for Scotland revealed that country folk live longer than city dwellers, we asked two writers to debate the respective merits of rural and urban life. Does staying in the country really add three years to your...



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