Valentine’s Day weddings, Gretna Green: my first proper job as a trainee reporter.
I remember it well, not only for the brilliant stories the happy couples told me, or how far some had travelled to tie the knot, but because I had never been to Gretna before that day. It was alien.
Aside from a few trips to Kirkcudbright as a teenager with friends, the vast majority of South West Scotland was a mystery to me, having spent most of my time in the east and then over west in the big smoke of Glasgow.
Needless to say, my move to Dumfries and Galloway for 18 months to cut my teeth in the world of journalism was nothing short of a culture shock. I swapped high heels and nightclubs for wellies and farming shows as I threw myself into rural life, covering a fertile and wide news beat, offering invaluable opportunities to find and tell a rich variety of stories. Most importantly (and always my favourite part of the job), I met fascinating people along the way and made loyal friends I keep to this day.
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But at times I felt cut off. The train back to Glasgow to see friends seemed to take an eternity, with infrequent departures. Getting from Dumfries to Edinburgh involved travelling to Lockerbie first, or taking a bus through what felt like, to my impatient 24-year-old self, every village in the land on a white-knuckle bumpy ride. I struggled with how remote, at times, the region felt when in reality there are just 75 miles or so separating Dumfries and Glasgow.
Today, we report on a cancer patient from the region who must travel through five health boards to get treatment. Ridiculous? Absolutely. Unfair? Without question. For 25 years, a former GP from the area has been fighting for change, arguing the gruelling practice has seen some people refuse treatment owing to the distress.
The problem stems from the area, which takes in towns including Stranraer, being formerly defined as in the south-east of Scotland for cancer services. Patients must therefore travel to Edinburgh for treatment, despite passing the door of the Beatson in Glasgow by two miles.
The story is heartbreaking and shocking in equal measure, and sadly highlights the pressures placed on rural communities when it comes to accessing fair healthcare. Imagine having to do this using a limited public transport network?
The former doctor, who has spearheaded the campaign for change, told us of further pressures in the area when it comes to maternity and GP services, where ‘based on data, we are the worst in Scotland’, he said, going on to also highlight recent threats to hospital staffing.
These are real and life-changing issues facing this rural part of Scotland and is vital these stories are told and heard by those who can influence change. This situation cannot continue.
Last month, I stressed The Herald’s commitment to rural Scotland, demonstrated through our successful series focusing on the depopulation of The Highland and Islands; a project that saw our work raised in the Scottish Parliament and myself and my team travel to Fort William to produce The Herald outwith Glasgow for the first time in our 240-year history.
We have a talented team of reporters here who know and understand Scotland. Our geographical links, our backgrounds and our interests are wide and we use these as strengths as we work hard to tell stories from across the whole of the country – not just its central belt.
For example, aside from our The New Highland Clearances series, our education specialist James McEnaney recently investigated claims a high school in Dalry is under ‘managed decline’ by its local authority, putting the future of its communities at risk.
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Reporter Caroline Wilson spoke with a former education director on Tuesday, who argued that the way to alleviate the struggles rural communities are facing when it comes to recruiting teachers, disinvestment and falling school rolls, would be to remove education from local authority control. And on Wednesday, we reported that teachers were being blamed for one rural area’s education statistics, much to their disgust, of course.
If you have stories you would like to share with us from your part of Scotland, please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.
Many thanks,
Catherine Salmond
Editor
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