Living with Hope

Engaging for Well-Being: Researching Community Engagement in Kincardine and Mearns Area

Professor (Emerita) Karen McArdleProfessor in EducationUniversity of Aberdeen4 Kirktonhill HoldingsMarykirkAberdeenshireAB30 1XA

k.a.mcardle@abdn.ac.uk(01674 840695)

July, 2017

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The Kincardine and Mearns Well Being Network proposed that research be undertaken in Kincardine and Mearns to explore factors that contributed to engagement with activities that sought to promote individual and community well being.

It was further proposed that this be implemented as an opportunity for professional development of key professionals in the Kincardine and Mearns area.

The following Research Questions were established in a participatory workshop with the Network, where research questions were brainstormed and summarised by the researcher:

1. Is and why is Kincardine and Mearns different from other areas of Aberdeenshire in terms of community engagement?

2. What are barriers to engagement?3. What will encourage people from diverse groups to engage in

activities linked to well being?4. How can services better meet the engagement needs of people in

Kincardine and Mearns?

1. Introduction

Kincardine and Mearns is a locality in rural Aberdeenshire, a county of Scotland. Traditionally, Aberdeenshire has been economically dependent upon the primary sector (agriculture, fishing, and forestry) and related processing industries. Over the last 40 years, the development of the oil and gas industry and associated service sector has broadened Aberdeenshire's economic base, and contributed to a rapid population growth of some 50% since 1975. Its land represents 8% of Scotland's overall territory. It covers an area of 6,313 square kilometres (2,437 square miles).

Kincardineshire, also known as the Mearns, is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of Northeast Scotland. Kincardine and Mearns is one of six area committees of the Aberdeenshire council area in Scotland. It has a population of around 40,000 (38,506 2001 Census).

There are significant natural features in this district including a coastal line, housing a strip of villages; including rivers, forests, mountains and bogs (known locally as mosses).

Transport links with Aberdeen have encouraged rapid population growth, especially in the north of this region. Existing settlements such as Laurencekirk, Portlethen and Stonehaven have greatly expanded, along with industrial activity. The Southern part is more self-sufficient, with the fertile Mearns area sustaining a strong agricultural economy. Small scale tourism activity occurs along its attractive coastline and former fishing villages.

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A problem of engagement in the Kincardine and Mearns area had been identified by the Well Being Network and professionals sought to understand why the community chooses not to participate in opportunities that will contribute to community and personal well-being. Local knowledge of Health and Well Being professionals and scrutiny of community profiles suggested that participation is lower than for comparative areas in the Grampian Region and it is considered that this is not related necessarily to need or provision. The project sought to explore a range of dimensions of this complex problem, including for example culture, need, identity, provisions, motivations, access and attitude. As this problem was multi-faceted a quantitative approach was not considered to be appropriate; coupled with potential literacy issues in the community, a questionnaire survey would not achieve the depth of understanding required. Accordingly a qualitative methodology was selected.

To make best use of the expertise of the researcher and of the local community professionals, it was proposed that this be conducted with a participatory approach and that this be framed as an opportunity for knowledge exchange so the professionals learn how to conduct similar research themselves. A core of community professionals from the Well Being Network participated in the research process, attending 4 training sessions and participating in focus groups. This core group fluctuated in attendance but was generally participated in by 8 – 10 people.

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2. Methodology

The methodology falls within an interpretative paradigm and used a participatory approach with the commissioning network as outlined above. The Method selected was the conduct of a series of focus groups across the region, involving a hoped-for sample of 8 - 10 residents of the Kincardine and Mearns area in 5 groups. Focus groups allow for in-depth discussion and lead to ‘thick’ and rich description of complex problems.

A total of 43 people participated in the discussions. This sample size was disappointing in that 2 of the groups had only 4 and 5 people including representatives of the network. These were the groups in the outlying villages. Conversely, the groups in the small town were very well attended. These latter were the groups in the bigger population areas of Stonehaven, Portlethen and Laurencekirk. Participants were sought using the local resource of Community Learning and Development staff, who would have local knowledge and contacts across a range of populations. The reason for the lack of attendance from the more rural and remote villages is germane to the subject of this research and the reasons are multi-faceted and complex and will be considered towards the end of this report.

The sample was not sought with a view to being representative of the area as generalisation to a population is not a characteristic of qualitative inquiry. Rather, insights into local community conditions were sought in the research and transferability to a population is considered appropriate in qualitative inquiry so the data is considered to have relevance to the population as a whole with the segmentation described in the discussion. Seeking representation from a community is always troublesome as who, indeed, can be considered to represent a community other than elected representatives who themselves frequently have divided loyalties? Community Learning and Development staff were advised that a mixture of people was sought and would include a wide range of individuals as long as they lived in the chosen areas. The Community Learning and Development staff worked hard to find participants particularly in the rural villages. Community activists, young people, elderly people, people with mental health issues and people who had lived in the area for short and long times were included. A balance of men and women was sought and achieved. The only people that could be considered to be absent were young mothers whose child care responsibilities would have perhaps prevented them from attending.

Participants were invited to attend a focus group framed in a positive way – to discuss health and well being in the local community. It was considered that a focus group promoted in a problematical way would not attract participants at all. There is the obvious issue that the people attending were themselves ‘participants’ and not representatives of the population that does not participate. Participants from vulnerable groups were actively sought and did, indeed,

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attend, so the population that forms the basis of this study is considered to be mixed and is not constituted as a group of the ‘usual suspects’ of community activists.

The validity and quality of the data is considered to be high because of the commitment and energy of the participants observed and because of the quality of what was said chiming with local professional insights from professional networks consulted, which included health and well being networks and networks of community learning and development professionals. All the groups were active and lively and it was apparent that the groups cared about the issues raised strongly. Participants themselves engaged with the topics very well. The focus group schedule provided guidance for the topics covered and is included as Appendix A. Sessions were recorded and transcribed and the transcriptions were analysed using a combination of thematic analysis and discourse analysis. 8 members of the Network assisted with analysis and interpretation of the data at the participatory workshops.

Workshop were held at different times of the day according to what was considered to be best for the particular location/population and focus groups were held in the locations selected in a community facility with lunch/refreshments being provided.

The following communities were selected for the focus groups. This selection was based on geographical factors and sought to follow natural community affiliations.

PortlethenStonehavenLaurencekirkRural villages in South-Western AberdeenshireRural coastal villages

With hindsight perhaps a more developed recruitment process could have been implemented in the rural villages through door knocking but the time and resource was not available for this approach. Further research could follow this line of inquiry to good effect. This relatively small scale study could provide a stepping off point for further work in the area.

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3. Findings

From the transcriptions themes emerged from the thematic and discourse analysis. These are only discussed where there was evidence from more than one focus group. The majority of themes had supporting evidence from all the focus groups. A large number of quotations are included to allow the reader to make his/her judgements about the significance and meanings of the data.

Respondents are referred to in each quotation as Respondent A, B, C and so on simply to distinguish between speakers. Karen or K refers to the researcher. Each quotation is labelled according to the focus groups it represents. Inevitably in recording focus groups, some discussion becomes indistinct as people talk over each other. Comments in brackets are those of the researcher.

The symbols . . . mean that the person paused. Interruptions are signalled by a hyphen -

3.1 What is well being?

In order to contextualise the responses of participants, they were asked for their understandings of well being. One response “living in hope’, which was expressed quite plaintively, forms the title of this report. Essentially a question, which would be expected to elicit positive responses, when viewed in the context of the wider findings and when heard again on the recordings, had a rather forlorn quality. Indeed, there were positive responses but these were qualified and tinged with a more negative connotation. The examples below illustrate this. When asked what is well being for you, the following exchanges took place:

Respondent A - Well I think it is being comfortable in myself.K – Yeah.Respondent B - And being comfortable with other people and sharing I think.K – Yes! What’s comfortable for you, Sarah (pseudonym)?Respondent C – Well I would agree certainly being comfortable with yourself and other people.K – Yes.Respondent B – And . . . I’ve found that as I’ve got older, I’m more comfortable with myself.K – Yes. Why is that do you think.Respondent B – Possibly because . . . (Interruption) . . . I think because . . . when you lose your parents, or husband, or partners, you’ve got to face up to challenges. (South Aberdeenshire Villages)

K – I want to think about what well being is, what does it mean?Respondent A – ContentmentK – Contentment. That’s a good one. Yes. Anything else?

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Respondent A _ Being at peace with yourself and with other people as far as possibleK – Yes.Respondent A – Sometimes you find some people you can’t be . . . and sometimes you find an awful lot of people . . . . . . K – Yes. Anything else?Respondent B – How to cope with changes.K – YesRespondent B – Because there’s plenty of changes you may not be able to do too much.K – About something? So there’s something about resilience isn’t there.Respondent B – Resilience comes into it. Yes.K- Yes.Respondent C – Is that about the things you can’t control then?

(Stonehaven)

Respondent A – I think if you are physically active you feel healthier. I would say walking if it’s a nice day you feel better too. Absence of pain. Also being with other people.Respondent B – About enjoying life.Respondent C – SecurityK – Safety?Respondent C – Financial security. Minimise stress.

(Laurencekirk)

The fourth example focuses on contentment with your lot and living in hope.

K – Has anybody got any ideas about what well being actually is?Respondent A. – Contentment with your lot,K – Yes. Contentment with you lot is a good one isn’t it? Any others? What well being means to you?Respondent B- Really happy in yourself and happy with your life.K- Happy with your life yeah.Respondent B – Well healthy and happy as well. If you don’t have your health . . . .K- Yeah that’s what every body says isn’t it?Respondent B – There’s a big lot of problems.K – Healthy is really important too.Respondent B – Living with hope.

(Portlethen)

A number of definitions of well being were given that were expressed in the negative, for example, ‘lack of inner turmoil’, ‘lack of pain’, ‘you’re not cold and you’re not hungry and you’re not tired because you don’t have a bed,’ ‘you’re nae wishing for the moon any more,’ ‘being relaxed, not stressed.’

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K - Health is fairly easy to think about because we all think about illness or not is one way of thinking of health. But that's not all that health is. And another way of...well being is less easy to define. I just wonder what you think health and well being mean?

Respondent A:Well I think and well being is a kind of catchphrase that's been initiated to try...I suppose at a government level to try to...I don’t know . . . preventative strategies to stop people from being ill so they want to get everybody healthy. So they won't need services! [Laughter]

(Rural Coastal Villages)

On a more positive note there were also positive definitions such as ‘sense of peace, ‘ ‘really happy in yourself’, ‘happy with your life’ ‘feeling valued,’ ‘appreciation.’

What was also apparent in the discussions of well being was the sense of social well being; the importance of others in terms of family, friends and community. There was a recognition that participation in groups be it a Men’s Shed or quilting was important for well being and work and volunteering supplied well being. For example ‘being in contact with a sufficient number of people to meet your needs.’ Once again it was tinged with a little negativity. For example the exchange below shows the emotional vulnerability that was present in some voices.

Respondent A – Being part of a small group situation in many spheres is very important and being excluded from those small social groups situations through something that is not your own doing can be very hurtful. Small group participation and belonging I would say.K – So belonging yes. That’s an important one isn’t it?Respondent B- That sort of ties into what you were saying about you don’t need to be part of this big social mix, and feel you’ve been left out because you’ve not been invited to things. You only . . . I think learn actually that way don’t you, you really only need a few people.’

(Stonehaven)

3.2 Barriers to engagement (transport, cost, fear, lack of awareness)

Participants were asked specifically for barriers to engagement in their communities in well being activities. The most frequently expressed and lengthily discussed barrier was transport. This is not surprising because these were rural communities but the fact that social isolation can result should not minimise the impact of this on local people; particularly the impacts on elderly people, disabled people and young people were mentioned.

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Respondent A – Access to transport, Yeah.K – What’s transport like in Stonehaven?Respondent B – For Stonehaven itself its pretty good – a fast bus to AberdeenK – You’re on a train (route) . . although I think the railway station is a long way away if you don’t have a car.Respondent A – Yeah, yeah, you’ve got to climb out of Stonehaven most of the time to get . . . Respondent B – The only thing about the fast or the X7 buses, it’s not accessible to a lot of people because of the steps, and I know a lot of people that can’t actually . . . K- Get on it?Respondent B – People who just can’t physically access those buses.

Transport issues were further considered in that awareness of community buses was not apparent and those who did know about them expressed concerns about volunteers to drive minibuses in Laurencekirk, Stonehaven and Portlethen. The concerns were around the cost of getting the Di required, finding volunteers and the unrealistic expectations that users of the service sometimes had.

The routes and timing of buses were mentioned, for example, in that if you choose to go to Banchory from Stonehaven for example, the return bus is half an hour after the outward journey. Journeys to the City, Aberdeen, were fine but journeys to other places were problematical.

Not surprisingly, opinions were frequently expressed in the negative. Attitudes of professionals or volunteers were mentioned by one respondent for example, expressing the vulnerability of older people.

Respondent A – And a lot of people I’ve watched over the year, I’ve been involved with different groups and one thing I cannot stand and I see it quite often is patronising people. Why all of a sudden do people think think that old people have become children.K- Yes.Respondent A – That just gets right up my nose you know – ‘come on sweetheart, come on dear’ – what’s that a’boot?

(South Aberdeenshire)

K : How do we get them?Respondent A -Well we don’t know who they are.Respondent B - No its apathy.K - Apathy?Respondent B - Yeah! K - What causes the apathy? What makes people apathetic?Respondent A Being too comfortable in the house I would think.Respondent B Got too warm [sounded like].

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K - Yeah too comfortable, it's like you're in your wee nest, you don’t want to venture out.

K - Yes! Yeah!Respondent C - That's the reason I would give you know?K - Yes!Respondent C- And you'd have to face new challenges and new people, it's a big step.K - It is a big step isn't it? There are a lot of new things and a bit of a transition.Respondent C - Well one thing that I find that I do now in the wintertime to keep costs down I get a hot water bottle, and I get into bed and I watch telly from my bed. So that long long evenings, when I'm not being productive, but that is all to do with finance. I daresay there are lots of other people who do that as well.K - Yeah! Yeah! Respondent B - Who live in one room and so they're not going to be that comfortable but it's sort of surviving.(Rural Coastal Villages)

Time poverty was cited by the towns in the study Portlethen, Aberdeenshire and Laurencekirk. The fact that some residents are commuters was suggested as a factor that contributed to lack of participation. People work long hours and have family commitments when they get home and so are unlikely to engage with local activities.

Respondent A – I think most people are working now as well and they’re in Aberdeen. They come home and have their tea and they’re shattered. Sometimes they work . . . I know my son works late, you know, and they only have the weekend to pack things into.Respondent B – They’ve got long working hours.Respondent A – Yeah! Things have changed a lot yeah and Portlethen is a sleeper town; it feeds Aberdeen, you know.

(Porthlethen)

Awareness of activities was discussed at the focus groups as a potential barrier to participation but discussion as illustrated below in all cases led to an understanding that there were sources of information available and that these were notoriously difficult to keep up to date. There was a clear recognition that people were the best source of information as confidence can be an issue for some people. In discussing participation as volunteers in Portlethen the following exchange illustrates the confidence issue further; confidence was also mentioned in Laurencekirk.

Respondent A – Yes we struggled, we are struggling just now.Respondent B – Other groups will be basically the same.K – Why do you think it is that people don’t take on responsibility? What makes some do and some don’t?Respondent A – You’ve got he word appreciation there, maybe they don’t think that . . .

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Respondent C – I think its fear as well.Respondent E – Yeah, a lack of self beliefRespondent B- Maybe they have got a lack of self belief, low self esteem. Maybe . . . Respondent E – Yeah they don’t feel able to take it onRespondent B – It needs someone like that to being it ‘oot of them to . . .we’ve got one old guy, that come along. I’ll no say his name but he’s in a wheelchair and he would just sit in the back ground all the time. He never says anything, but if you ask him to do something . . . he’ll go away and do itRespondent E - Yeah.K – Maybe he just wants to be askedRespondent B - He’s gotta be asked.

(Portlethen)

Respondent A – It’s hard to go along if you haven’t been before.Respondent B – You always need to bring someone along new so you don’t need to walk in on your own.

(Laurencekirk)

Finally, the barriers to engagement in activities linked to well being included a fear of stigma. This appeared to be very strong and was spoken about with energy and body language/intonation signalling clear agreement. In speaking about mental health in particular stigma was cited as a barrier to engagement. Speaking about mental health issues, the following exchanges occurred:

Respondent a – And they are not a priority as much as they should be Respondent B – Yes!Respondent A – And I think along with that comes the stigma associated with looking for help for mental health issues.

(Portlethen)

Respondent A – I think in a small community somewhere like Stonehaven where a lot of people . . . or they have the perception that so many people know them or know their business, I think if you put a label on a particular group sometimes people are . . . having suffered from mental health problems myself – I’m past that now but in the beginning I know its very difficult to go in somewhere because you think suddenly everybody knows and there’s the paranoia that goes with it. So, you think everybody knows it . . . so I think stigma will definitely be on the list somewhere.

(Stonehaven)

3.3 Local Affiliation

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One theme that emerged from the data was the importance of local affiliation. This was often expressed in strongly positive terms.

Respondent A – Drumlithie (village) used to have a sort group that did decoration I think and all of a sudden we’ve got a new groups in the village, young folk. I tell you, Union Street (main street in Aberdeen) has nothing on us! We’ve go t hem in every corner. We’ve got on the hall – we’ve got this great big plum pudding went up and its beautiful. The whole village is just . . . it’s great! Just young folk, just . . . they’ve taken on all sorts of things in the village, weird and wonderful occasions are happening and they’ve been supportive which is good. . .

(South Aberdeenshire villages)

Respondent A – Our local river is a perfect wee, wild river and you an escape from Stonehaven within minutes and be by yourself for in good company for the whole day and hardly see a soul. Watching the wildlife and occasionally catching fish.

(Stonehaven)

In Portlethen it was expressed as something from the past, nostalgia, a theme to which I shall return in the Discussion.

Respondent A – My dad grew up in Portlethen and there was . . in his young day quite a social scene.Respondent B- Well the Jubilee Hall when I first came up that was where you went every Saturday,K- Yes.Respondent B – You had stovie dances on a Saturday night.

3. Emotional and Social Isolation

Themes of emotional and social isolation were very strong in the findings.

Respondent A - . . . I’m an incomer. I’ve only lived here for fourteen and a half years.K- Only fourteen and a half (jokes)!Respondent A – Yes I’ve met one or two people who don’t like incomers . . um and can be a bit stand offish. But, by and large um. . . when my late husband and I moved here um we decided that . . . well we lived in a fairly small geographical area on the (English counties) border before we moved here. And so that was reasonably rural and you don’t expect . . . you can’t expect people and and knock on the door and say oh you’ve come to live here. Welcome!. It’s nice if they do um. . . and my next door neighbour certainly did that whens he saw the furniture van moving in. She shouted welcome to Luthermuir! Which I thought was terrific but you’ve got to make an effort to go out and not push yourself over much . . .

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Respondent B – . . . I think it’s up to yourself. I think It’ hard sometimes you know a lot of people get snubbed once and they think well that is it! I think you’ve got to . . . well to be quite honest with you, try moving into a village when you’ve got a policeman for your husband. It ain’t easy!

Respondent C – I do always think that I would feel very isolated if I couldn’t or was for some reason stopped from driving

(South Aberdeenshire villages)

Respondent A – You said about people who live . . . because I was one of those people who liven on the outskirts. Stonehaven can be quite an intimidating place. There’s this sot of core of people who live in the middle bit of Stonehaven who all know each other and go …it’s . . .and . . . you know it’’s quite cliquey . . . Respondent B – My husband’s Stonehaven born and bred.K – Yes Yes.Respondent C – There’s an awful lot of very wealthy people too.K - Yes.Respondent C – They’re very wealthy and when my kinds were growing up, we couldn’t go to Tanzania on a safari. We were luck to have a holiday in France. And that is a bit of a . . .a barrier I think. Maybe now so much now but that is quite an interest . . . you’ve said it! David’s said it - this divide.

(Stonehaven)

Respondent A- In the old days the family was around you.K – Yes.Respondent A – You knew the family, you knew all the neighbours. Nowadays, like me for instance, my family live in Aberdeen and Glasgow. My two sons are in Aberdeen. I’m the only one that’s’ in Portlethen , so I had to find my ways to getting a’boot on my own. And I’m visually impaired so it was really difficult for me to figure ‘oot where to goK Yeah.Respondent A – But . . . I’m friendly with one neighbour each side and that’s it. The nice little cul de sac I’m in, naebody . . . naebody comes over for a cup of tea or nothing.K – Why don’t they do it?Respondent A – Back in the day they used to sit out the front . . . .

(Portlethen)

K - Why is it that people in Kincardine and Mearns don’t participate as much as people elsewhere? Is there something about people in Kincardine and Mearns that makes them different?

Respondent A - Possibly it's the attitude. I found a different attitude when I moved up here -

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K - What's the attitude?

Respondent A - Small fishing villages and I think that's carried over, they're much more judgmental of strangers, they hide a lot even from one another. I don’t mean the people in their family but neighbours. Hide the nasty things that are happening to them, possibly they tell the good things. But they keep their live confidential, keep up a facade and it's the fishing village mentality.

K: Yes very closed. Yeah. That's very helpful. That's very interesting.

Respondent B - I would rather say that the fishing village mentality is quite supportive for...its supportive in the fishing villages.

Respondent A -But you've got to be one of the clan, your granny has got to have been born in the village.

(Rural Coastal Villages)

Discussing elderly people in Portlethen the following conversation ensued.

Respondent A - . . . They’re just frightened to come oot. And that’s’ men still frightened to come oot of their hooses at that time of night (9 o’clock). Some of them going into an empty house. They’re just frightened to come oot and that’s men still frightened to come oot of their house at that time of night.K- Yes.Respondent A – On their own.Respondent B- Is there a problem in Portlethen?Respondent C – No I don’t think so.Respondent D – It’s quite intimidatory sometimes. You’re no far from the shops down at the . . . just below the school and Jubilee Hall and I’ve felt myself walking down amongst t hem, its quite intimdatory.

(Portlethen)

3.6 Culture of (getting by/not asking for help)

A culture of getting by and not asking for help was apparent in the data. It manifested itself as a self-reliance and managing. It can be seen as both a positive characteristic and a problem when there is an unmet need.

K- . . . Can people help you improve your wellbeing? I’m thinking of being comfortable with yourself or comfortable with other people? Is there a way in which other people can help with that?

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Respondent A – I think involvement help with that. Like involvement like . . the Healthy Living Network for me that’s my main thing and getting involved with other people and other groups of people and different groups of people And I think that helps and it disnae make you quite so self centred. . . And I think as you get older as well, you do learn to live within your means and be quite content with that.

(South Aberdeenshire Villages)

Respondent A – I think like for me I was born and brought up in the Howe O’ the Mearns and we’re a dour . . . what’s the word . . . dour . . .we’re not good at taking help and we’re fiercely independent and I’ve come across a great deal in the last fifteen years. It’s inbred.

(South Aberdeenshire Villages)

Respondent A – I mean you’ve got to accept. If I knock on somebody’s door, I’ve d one it a few times. And said aboot ‘oor services and all the rest and they’ll say, it’s oaky dear I’m fine. Well that’s the end of the story.

(South Aberdeenshire Villages)

Respondent A – Although I’m an a’boot comer my husband is born and bred and generations . . . he’s from a farming background as well. I kind of noticed that about the people he knows, they’re all tenant farmers. It’s not quite the same as the feein system but they’re all tenant farmer. They’re all kind of at the mercy of a landlord in many cases. They’re all self employed; they’re all working as hard as they possibly can. They can’t take time off because things still have to be fed and things still have to become and they just get on with it. Um . . . and you know sometimes awful personal tragedies they just have to keep going. You see it happenin’ quite a lot, I think there is something about that you know. It’s just what has to be done. They just keep going because of the things that won’t happen of they don’t keep going.

South Aberdeenshire Villages)

Respondent A – Do you think that accepting help is an admission of failure t hen perhaps that there’s the pride . . . Respondent B – I think they never expected it. I think that’s the problem.Respondent A – So it’s a lack of expectation rather than a . . .Respondent B – And the other thing I’ve come across a lot often here and I’ve said how a’boot coming. It’s ne for the likes of us. We’re here and that’s how people that are up there and they just . . . No., not for us and that’s sad!

(South Aberdeenshire Villages)

Respondent A – I think you said something really interesting and its’ an echo of what Maria (not real name) had said at lunchtime in that um .. . .the sort

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of chasing the money. And a lady earlier on toady had said , as she’s gotten older, what adds to her contentment and her sense o well being is that sort u of happiness with her lot that ‘s come with age. You know and that perhaps for the younger generation its all the treadmill. There’s the car and the mortgage and the ids all have multiple clubs. That all cost money and you have to get back to work and you’re constantly looking for promotion. And it’s . . . you know you never give yourself . . . Respondent B – I t goes back to contentment.Respondent C - YeahK – Yes.Respondent B – Being content with your lot.

(Stonehaven)

K – We’ve has a look around and all said something that we enjoy but what do we think well being actually is?Respondent A – Contentment with your lot.

(Portlethen)

Respondent A - Well services are very new aren't they? I mean earlier in the century you had your local councillors actually living in the villages and they got things done and they were the ones who insisted that people put in water and so on,K - But they're a bit distant now.Respondent B - Local government has changed.K - Do you feel its distant?Respondent B - Well it is distant I mean . . . it is distant.K - Yes Yes.Respondent A - I wonder if its felt to be more distant here than other places, the kind of southern tip of Aberdeenshire.Respondent B - We'll we've had the . . . he said I think you've been neglected.Respondent C -That's kind of what I'm thinking yeah.

(Rural Coastal Villages)

Respondent A - And the kind of self sufficiency of village life particularly in the fishing villages. But it's also that point around about kind of pride in not wanting to admit that you may be struggling. You were talking about the food bank and people and that's understandable but I think in general people maybe not wanting to say well actually things aren't great for me. And that would kind of link into not only them not wanting to use services but that whole snowballing thing that they wouldn’t talk to other people about stuff. So understanding the kind of dynamic of the kind of culture of using health and well being activities might not be so developed.

(Rural Coastal villages)

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Discussing health, the respondents in Portlethen talked about the importance of looking after yourself as opposed to being an NHS responsibility.

Respondent A – I think attached to that is when we’re on the subject of older people and we’re looking at their health and well being, historically for . . . not everybody present , I’m not suggesting this. But for some responsibility to look after their health and well being is not theirs. They see the responsibility being placed in the NHS.

(Portlethen)

3.7 Ideas on how to overcome lack of engagement

Ideas were sought on how engagement could be promoted in the area. As this is a multi-faceted problem, it is not surprising that this did not achieve many concrete or shared solutions other than the importance of other people from the community being involved for some kind of peer support and encouragement; and improving the confidence of potential participants. Discussions focused in some groups on the approach of professionals.

K – (Summarising) But the confidence is a big issue isn’t it?Respondent A-I think the issue his how its dealt with.K- Yeah.Respondent A – It’s the approach I think.K – The approach and what sort of approach?Respondent A – Well I think . . . when you think a bout it you’re speaking to an older person who’s had a life and brought up a family, and had a job, all of a sudden somebody comes in. ‘ Oh no, no, on no, that’s nae for you. You dinnae do that or what ever. The approach is wrong. I went to a meeting, no names mentioned , it was’nae here and there was this lady and she obviously . . . she was frightened to speak.

. . .

Respondent B I think that’s where we spoke about peer support but that peer . . . how can I describe it ? I always kind of think that we are all walking leaflets and information sources.

(South Aberdeenshire Villages)

Respondent A . . . People who get together with an interest and then as they become friends you know other things get discussed and you print each other t things that you also know about or that get discussed in there. And so many of these re just vastly too expensive now.Respondent B – Peer support that you get.K- Yes.Respondent B – Natural befriending, I suppose.

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(Stonehaven)

Respondent A - . . . I’m quite happy to talk to people online, but he is sometimes something about having somebody present, physically present and maybe having a hug or something like that. Rather than just saying calm down it’s going to be okay. I think that’s a huge area of well being that we haven’t even thought about at the momentK – Yes. That’s importantRespondent B _ I think one of the big things about these groups is that if people come to them then they get that lived experience because they get human contact and no matter if it is a social group of whatever, but they . . . it can be almost like therapy itself.

(Stonehaven)

Respondent A – A lot of these things it could be . . . a lot depend on how welcoming you are when somebody new comes through the door.K – Yeah. How do you d o that? What do you do to make . . Respondent A – We immediately introduce ourselvesRespondent B _ We do that quite often.Respondent C – Go and meet them a d welcome them.Respondent A – Our of the 50 odd guys who enrolled in the Men’s Shed (Indistinct) . . . for the first meeting there was only about 5 of us there. Out of the ones that’s there now . . . before I met them at the Men’s Shed I only knew about four of them and I’ve been in Portlethen for thirty odd years.K – YeahRespondent B – I know It’s a sad fact isn’t itRespondent C - YeahRespondent A - I think it s indicative of the area that historically I think people are afraid what other people think.

(Portlethen)

K- Given all the things that we’ve been saying um . . and thinking about people who are designing services with health and wellbeing um. . . what kinds of things do they need to do to a make people come along? We’ve talked about a lot of issues and problems, what kinds of thing would make people come along?Respondent A- It’s difficult to explain it, you have to breakdown . . .Respondent B-I have an idea . . . Respondent C – Old people’s established . . . like I said earlier going and switching on the TV. That’s me for the night. A long as the teapot’s handy that’s fine.Respondent A – But I think if there ‘s somebody they can get to know, somebody they get to trust, that is takes with . . . Respondent B - Like a buddy service?Respondent A – Yes, Perhaps something like that. Yeah! I think looking at health and well being for those who don’t engage from my point of view if

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they experience low mood that can lead to lack of motivation . . . It needs support, it need someone they trust, recognise ,value to come and support them to try new things.

(Portlethen)

K- Have I missed out anything that’s really importantRespondent A – Can I illustrate your point?K- Yes please.Respondent A – The befriending aspect of itK- Yes.Respondent A - And we’ve discussed that as one of the important issues – the befriending service that exists within Kincardine and Mearns is at capacity. It’s got a waiting listK – Yes.Respondent A - And it’s closed to new people . . . um because the need isK- So great?Respondent A - So great.

(Stonehaven)

K- No! No! So how can we overcome these problems in terms of for the people...on the health and well being network how can they design services in a way that will get people to participate? What would be things that they could do that would help people to get along and enjoy activities?

Respondent A - Well -K - Should they design the service and make it free?Respondent B - Make it free.K - Make it free.Respondent A Make them comfortable when they get there.K - Yes!Respondent A - Start them with the same age group, same age level,

so they feel comfortable with one another. That's about all I can think of.

K - Yeah.Respondent B Which they're possibly doing already.K - Yes! Yes! Probably! Yes!Respondent C - There's a lunch club here isn't there Respondent B - Give them something to aim for you know? I mean materially as well, you know start them on something small and learn. Preparation for being a joiner, well they do that at school anyway. Just something that's going to educate them some way. They don’t expect...

Respondent A - We've always said that young people are not catered for well in this part of the world. You have to have money to go to the leisure centre, there's a skate park that's never really got going. Um...and there's a gap where you're not going to go to the pub but

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what social activities are there? And do they actually want any social activities?

[All talking at once]

Respondent A -You want to be able to have a weatherproof area where you can congregate without being molested by adults.

(Rural coastal Villages)

Peer support was important for respondents in Laurencekirk who referred frequently to the importance of family and community too.

Respondent A – Four of us belong to a peer group for mental healthRespondent B – Helping each otherRespondent A – Peer support really good. We understand each other and its’ really good. Like here we know that whatever goes on in the group stays in the group.

(Laurencekirk)

In Laurencekirk, it was considered to be important that the local doctors should refer and point people in the direction of groups and activities linked to wellbeing. It was recognised that the doctors have not time or budgets for this.

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4. Discussion

4.1 Brief Overview

The overwhelming picture of Kincardine and Mearns that emerges from the data is that of a community that is troubled. Whilst some individuals were positive and optimistic, the researcher was surprised that the conversations were negative and aware of complex issues facing the local communities in which they lived. The topic of the focus groups was largely expressed in a positive way by the researcher but the opportunity was taken by respondents to focus directly and more subtly on the problems individuals faced. The troubles could be argued to emanate from communities in transition and the changes they are facing. A sense of lack of control over the changes occurring was apparent.

4.2 Community Engagement

Community engagement is a multi-level concept ranging from engagement in policy development, through partnership and volunteering to individual engagement with programmes. Community engagement may be defined as the application of institutional resources to address and solve challenges facing communities through collaboration with these communities (derived from Westfall et al. 2009). Community engagement may also be viewed as participation along a continuum by members of a community, where the continua range from strong participation to weak involvement. These continua include social, emotional and physical dimensions of involvement by an individual. The respondents in this study unsurprisingly focused primarily on the common sense definition of engagement interpreting it as participation in individual programmes.

Community engagement is important because 90% of health determinants are not health system related social and economic (Kilpatrick, 2008). Studies suggest that the majority of ‘engaged’ individuals perceive that there are benefits for their physical health, psychological health, self confidence, self esteem, sense of personal empowerment and social relationships (Attree et al 2010). The social outcomes of community engagement may be particularly important for ‘at risk’ populations such as residents in poor social and economic circumstances and older people who tend to be less well connected socially (ibdi). This is a particular concern for the social isolation described by respondents in this study discussed in 4 .5

Respondents had light to shed on why people in the Kincardine and Mearns area do not participate in programmes linked to well being and this may be interpreted as cultural reasons linked to both social isolation and the social history and geography of the area. Culture may be defined in this context as the values, customs and practices by which men and women live (derived from Eagleton, 2016). It constitutes the invisible colour of everyday life and the taken-for-granted texture of our workaday existence, too close to the eyeball to be fully objectified (Eagleton, 2016). There is a culture of self-reliance and closed

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communities, where those from outside are viewed with some suspicion. This is discussed further in section 4.3. Social isolation is discussed further in section 4.5.

It is important to note that the customary barriers of transport and lack of awareness of programmes of wellbeing, whilst expressed as issues, were generally expressed with less force and point. Transport was linked to social isolation in the main, rather than being a problem for attendance at programmes. Awareness of programmes was considered to be an issue in the context that people would attend if they had social contact, so this too was linked to social isolation. Other common issues linked to lack of engagement were not discussed. Childcare was not mentioned except in the context that it was part of the time poverty of those working outside the commuter towns.

The actual needs of individuals in a well being context were not discussed except insofar as they affected particular groups; assessment of need was not the purpose of the study but was implicit in a consideration of community engagement. So, for example, transport was discussed as being important for the social contact of elderly people and the need for buses that ‘bow’ for greater accessibility. Long distance buses were mentioned as being a need in Laurencekirk. Accessibility of venues for disabled people as briefly discussed. Young people discussed a particular need for spaces that could be theirs for informal activities such as meeting friends. Stress of exams for young people was mentioned in Laurencekirk and behavioural disorders and the inability of teachers to cope with these issues It is important to note that nobody felt that the service were either inappropriate or deficient. In fact, there was positive regard for many programmes that were known and mentioned. The Men’s Shed in Portlethen received particular positive regard.

Overall, a strong sense emerged of social isolation and the culture of Kincardine and Mearns contributed to difficulties in engagement that could only be overcome through face-to-face contact. The terms culture and social isolation were was not used, rather people referred to it in the commons sense language of the impact of history and geography and the language of loneliness and lack of contact.

4.3 History and Geography

Community participation in health and well being programmes requires that these are consistent with values and attitudes in the respective communities. Community engagement is particularly important for rural residents as they have less access to more centralised health resources. It can take time to build trust and rural communities can be considered to be conservative and suspicious of changes that are imposed from the outside (Milton et al, 2011). In the villages that are the subject of this study this was not a suspicion or distrust; rather it was a history of self-sufficiency, self-reliance and a lack of expectation of support from outside the community that appeared to affect engagement.

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In the rural villages in particular, the history and geography of the communities was described with a concomitant reference to their impact on social mores. For example the following two comments were made by different people in South Aberdeenshire, which illustrate the historical context and its impact on engagement today. The body language of the individuals who were expressing these ideas was noted in the researcher’s notes as being closed with arms initially sweeping wide to embrace the community then hugging close to the chest. There was a sense of being tied and enclosed in a system that demands you look after yourself. The link of the hardship of history to the present day was expressed by both people.

Respondent A - I think . . . I do think that in this area right, farming, now these people that worked on the farms they had . . . they were tied to the land for six months at a time. Now at the end of six months if the farmer liked them of if they liked the job they could stay. If not, out! Whether they had got five or fifteen kids, they slept in ditches because they could’nae get another job. And I think that’s bred in the people here you know.

(South Aberdeenshire Villages)

Respondent A - And the other thing that . . . if you think aboot a woman. She’s married to this man that works on a farm. She was not allowed to take employment outwith that. I mean if she just thought well I could maybe get a little job, no chance! They had to stay on the farm, work on the farm, she would have to work in the field sometimes. She would do the washing for the farmer’s wife; they were absolutely tied to that thing. A lot of people committed suicide. I think that’s what’s wrong with the Howe O’ the Mearns . . .

(South Aberdeenshire Villages)

Much is written about history and how it affects individuals. Arguably, the most commonly referred to ideas are those of Pierre Bourdieu (1972) who used the term ‘habitus’ to refer to ‘second nature.’ Bourdieu describes how the unconscious is never anything other than the forgetting of history.

“The ‘unconscious’ is never anything other than the forgetting of history, which history itself produces by incorporating the objective structures it produces in the second natures of ‘habitus’. . . in each of us in varying proportions there is part of yesterday’s man (sic); it is yesterday’s man who inevitably predominates in us, since the present amounts to little compared with the long past in the course of which we were formed and from which we result. Yet we do not sense this man of the past, because he is inveterate in us; he makes up the unconscious part of ourselves.” (p. 79)

So, one can be very aware of recent history because it has not had time to become part of our unconscious; but there are older histories, which form our dispositions. In short, the habitus mentioned in the quotation produces individual and collective practices that seem sensible and reasonable but are the

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product of our individual and collective histories. The history of rural communities informs, in subtle ways, how people in communities react today.One of the common side effects of this ‘habitus’ in my opinion is the fact that people can behave in ways that are relevant to the past and all that this imbues, without necessarily realising that his is relevant to a historical context and may not be relevant today.

The past, and perhaps present, hardships of life in this context of farming and fishing communities in Kincardine and Mearns, contribute to the sense of a need for self-reliance derived from lives of hardship and a suspicion of external forces. These external forces in a community context have contributed to a decline in the fishing industry and the concomitant hardship for fishing communities, who already had a grim and dangerous existence. The external forces also contributed to the decline of employment in farming, where the traditional labouring employment and way of life was replaced by machinery and the merger of small tenant farms into larger landholdings.

The social geography of the areas, communicated by respondents through body language and recorded through observations, also contributes to this sense of self reliance and social isolation. The fishing villages hug the coastline with their backs tuned to the outside forces; a closed community to the outsider. In the Howe of the Mearns, the daunting expanse of the large farm holdings was signalled by sweeping gestures, which show the smallness of the individual; and the isolation of the rural villages was signalled by closed gestures and indications of smallness.

Respondent A: So they're quite self sufficient.Respondent B : Yes!

Respondent A: That's interesting.K: That's very interesting because its cultural isn't it? It's something -

Respondent B . . . These widows they had to look after...the men had been take prisoners of war, they had to fend for themselves for 3-4 years until they came back from prison of war. They didn’t get a widows pension or any sort of pension from the government.Respondent A: That was dreadful.

K: And there's something about rural communities being self sufficient and liking being self sufficient I think. Respondent C : Yeah but even now um...the food bank thing is sort of needed in this area, there are a lot of people who use a food bank -Respondent B . . . keep it to themselves.Respondent A ; Well of course!Respondent B: They hide their poverty.

(Rural Coastal Villages)

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The towns, of Laurencekirk, Stonehaven and Portlethen were subject to this ‘habitus’ and social history and geography but in different ways from the villages. The residents of these towns focused on the concept of ‘change.’ The towns had a history of what was referred to in Portlethen as a ‘spirit of community’ that had changed over time. There was reference in each of the towns to the incomers in new housing estates, whose residents were likely to be commuters. Residents, whilst being careful to be welcoming, were aware of the changes that this had brought to the sense of community and to the geography. Again in Portlethen, there was reference to the lack of a main street in the community and a ‘heart’, which had existed in the past. In Laurencekirk, there was an awareness that the doubling of the population over recent years had not led to families rejuvenating the area; rather new housing had appealed to elderly folk, which led to a dearth of employment opportunities,

In Stonehaven, the discussion focused on the new residents’ time poverty as commuters, which impinged on their ability to participate and to be ‘known’. In Laurencekirk reference was made to the ‘sprawling’ social geography which was a change from the ‘cohesion’ of a community with a ’close-knit’ High Street. In these rural towns, the ‘looking to’ Aberdeen was not viewed positively and the need for a self reliant economy was considered to be close to a sense of community; once again this is arguably a product of habitus where employment in the past was present in the towns and lifestyle was local. The change to a commuter focus brings with it time poverty for the individual and an impact on community spirit. These changes for the community are part of much greater social and economic changes but they bring with them undeniable impact on the psychological and social experience of people living in these areas and the their sense of well being and control over their lives.

4.4 Lack of Empowerment

Empowerment has most often been defined as the mechanism by which people, organizations, and communities gain mastery over their affairs (Rappaport, 1987 in Christens 2012). In the towns, the culture of the communities was seen to be characterised by change and a sense of not being able to manage this change. For communities this individual psychological empowerment is crucial to participation in community life and, I propose, to participation in programmes of well being. Psychological empowerment is relevant in this study as individuals expressed their own lack of agency in the face of change.

In the towns, this feeling of lack of control was expressed in different ways but the lack of control was either explicit or implicit in what was said. I give examples from one town, Stonehaven, that express this lack of social control and disempowerment in the face of social change. This was apparent in all three towns. In Laurencekirk the inadequacy of consultation on the building of the new school was described as ‘horrific.’ The example from Stonehaven shows the multiplicity of ways in which this manifested itself and was expressed by respondents. The first example concerns technological change

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Respondent A – One of the things I’m noticing more and more um. . . I struggle now (to) remember passwords for things. Now this might sound silly but I’ve got a strong belief that this is going to become more and more of a problem for people as they get older. So many things now require passwords; you’re supposed to keep different passwords for so many things. And . . . I think it’s going to shut out older people out of an awful lot of activities as more and more stuff goes online and you require the passwords and you can’t remember them. And if I’m trying to do shopping or something like that online and I’m trying to do something quickly and I realise that I can’t remember my password for eBay or something like that. And every time you end up having to ask . . . request a password to be sent to you and you can’t do it. And the stress that creates is completely disproportionate to what you’re trying to do and it’s going to be a real issue.

(Stonehaven)

The second example from Stonehaven concerns social mores in education and the economy that are considered to be quite deliberate, though it is not clear who is at fault.

Respondent A – But it is the competitiveness, which is quite deliberately fostered by all the rhetoric that’s around nowadays. You know and the kids . . . the kids when you look at what they are growing up with through school and the pressure that’s on them for testing after testing after testing, into exams all the time. And first degrees are no longer good enough. You’ve got to get another degree and all that sort of thing. It’s just dire. And then you can’t afford to buy the house anyways that you were told that you were going to get and you’re not likely to –Respondent B- So you’re back living with Mum and Dad when you finish University.

(Stonehaven)

Change in the community and a lack of control over societal changes was expressed in further ways in Stonehaven. Social geography and economic change is implicit in the example below. The link to the requirement for communities to volunteer to deliver formerly centrally delivered services is the context of this quotation.

Respondent A – But not only that (time poorness) several of you have commented about how people aren’t volunteering to do things and that sort of thing. And I think a huge stress now is we don’t have the time. We’re travelling further to do things when we’re working. Every body is sort of spread out further and we just don’t have time to do all these other things.

(Stonehaven)

Finally changes in social habits and the economy impact negatively on residents as expressed below.

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Respondent A . . . I think a lot of sports activities, the membership is not what it used to be. I mean in bowling for instance, I’m a member of Summerhill and I had to wait seventeen years. In fact I was playing squash at the time and I laughed off a membership in bowling but it turned out to be a good idea . Now the membership is dropping there which you would not expect if people are living longer.

(Stonehaven)

Respondent A – (Talking about hotels) Our favourite was the County, naturally! Um . . . and it’s gone, with its squash courts . . . if you start to count the number of good hotels we have lost here half a dozen anyway just like that. Or four to half a dozen, and they’re big social . . . big gap in the ability of people to get out there from their home and actually socialise.

(Stonehaven)

Many of the social changes that are referred to are changes that affect everyone regardless of where they live but some are a) quite characteristic of the rural communities; and b) are particularly strongly felt as being beyond the control of respondents.

a) The characteristics that are particularly hard felt in the rural community of this example are the loss of services through economic forces and through social change. In a rural community there are often no alternatives to the lost services and social change is not diluted by a larger population.

b) In other research on the Kincardine and Mearns area currently being prepared for publication (Shanks & McArdle, 2017), the findings were that respondents felt a lack of control over situations that affected their way of live and had an almost feudal sense of the control of others over their destiny. The sense of helplessness and inability to manage these changes was particularly apparent in this research.

The feeling of being out of control of change is a matter of concern to those who are providing programmes linked to well being. A sense of agency and control are without doubt important dimensions of well being. Distance, or perceived distance, from decision making were not discussed in this research by respondents but it is the case that policy and practice of service delivery are increasingly centralised as budgets tighten; and there is the corollary that services, where decentralised rely increasingly on community volunteering and participation. If rural communities are to benefit from decentralisation then a sense of agency and control is crucial. Psychological empowerment may be thought of as increasing the cognitive, emotional, behavioural and social capacities of individuals so that they can participate in empowering community settings and, in particular, contribute to change in social and political systems.

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4. 5 Bi-directional Social Isolation

Recent research has identified a wide range of indicators of social isolation that pose health risks, including living alone, having a small social network, infrequent participation in social activities, and feelings of loneliness. Social isolation was apparent as a strong feature of the responses in this study. This isolation was not limited just to those who had lived in the area for some time who were harking back to a golden age of community. The social isolation of the commuter population is referred to in the quotation below.

Respondent A – (talking about canvassing the new housing estates). What do they do with themselves? Is their life totally orientated towards Aberdeen to the exclusion of getting involved in the community here. Because the faces that came down to the door I just simply did not recognise. Um . . . so the commuting. It’s all to do with having to work very hard too, and having possibly no energy or time when you come from that commute to get involved.

(Stonehaven)

The problems for incomers in the villages was linked to social isolation in terms of acceptance, belonging and simple friendship. For those who are arguably excluding incomers, whether this be conscious or not, in the villages, there is social isolation too from new ideas, community resources and simple friendship. This argument of bi-directional social isolation applies too to the three rural towns where the commuting population will be a potential resource and they themselves may suffer isolation as a result of time poverty and conscious or unconscious exclusionary attitudes. There was no evidence of discrimination but there was evidence of exclusion in the villages and impatience in the towns with the lack of participation with community events. An important dimension of social isolation was fear of stigma particularly as it relates to mental health.This social isolation may be subtle and not overtly discussed but it can be both hurtful and counter-productive in improving rural life.

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5. The Implications of the Findings

The Network that commissioned this study consists of professionals in the public and third sectors with an interest in promoting the well being of residents in the Kincardine and Mearns area. It is accordingly important to place the findings in a context of service policy and provision. The background to the problems was that engagement in the area was not considered by the Network to be congruent with the identified needs in the area.

To summarise the main findings of this study, the reasons for a problem with engagement in the area are:

- Culture- Bi-directional Social Isolation- Lack of Community Empowerment.

The traditional rural barriers of lack of awareness of services, transport, and childcare or inappropriate provision were mentioned but were not as significant as the three factors outlined above.

The three main factors are complex, difficult and inter-related and do not lend themselves to a quick-fix solution. A number of important pointers for professional policy and practice do, however, emerge.

5.1 Community Development

The first is a positive pointer that there is no indication that well being service provision is inappropriate or insufficient according to the respondents. There was strong recognition of the importance of well being services for the individuals and the community. This included a strong recognition that well being services might not be ‘badged’ in this way and could include a wide range of sporting and hobby activities that have the corollary of contributing to personal self-esteem or confidence and social inclusion.

The most important point however that emerged from the study is that services need to be placed in a community development context. Services that overcome isolation (group activities) are very important as are activities that encourage individuals to explore culture, agency and empowerment, which may be through a wide range of well being methods. Reflection on the findings on the part of the researcher and network participants led to the conclusion that all services needed to be part of a wider, longitudinal community development process. Cultural change takes time and if the residents of Kincardine and Mearns are to benefit from services then longitudinal investment and expectations are required on the part of funders, policy makers and providers.

There are many definitions and models of community development and it is not the purpose of this report to outline or summarise these. Community development may be understood in simple terms as a process, which increases the capacity of people in disadvantaged circumstances to work to improve the

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conditions in their own localities. The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." This approach to wellbeing will overcome the three issues outlined above. The community can work to explore renewed culture through consciousness raising; can explore empowerment to overcome negative barriers; and tackle the problems of social isolation through a shared community commitment. This will not work if driven solely by the professionals. It requires the involvement of key community drivers and the buy in of the community itself. This requires that means of engaging individuals are sought which build on respect and trust in the community which once again take time to deliver. There is no short cut to trust. It requires a presence in the community and the development of this trust and respect.

This is a considerable challenge as community development is time consuming and once the core domain of Community Learning and Development (CLD) and other services by the local authority, it has become less attractive in times when shorter term successes are required by cash strapped government bodies. Social capital and human interaction are at the core of the issues in Kincardine and Mearns. Social capital can be strengthened by improving relationships on a community-wide basis and encouraging initiative, responsibility and adaptability.

The Community Development professional has an important role to play in identifying and seeking opportunities, assisting with the setting of long term and short term goals and maintaining a strategic overview for community activities that can lead to cultural change. In seeking cultural change, a common process involves identifying the change necessary, which this report has contributed to. Then communicating the change to residents; modelling change and then creating the conditions for change to emerge that will lead to repositioning of culture. Culture need not be lost, it is important to history and traditions but it needs to reposition itself for more modern approaches to quality of life. Culture death is not suggested; rather some realignment with current economic and social conditions. One of the key principles that underpins this work is creating, managing and sustaining diffusion. This means diffusion of cultural conditions from more adaptive dimensions of a community to the less adaptive conditions. In the case of bi-directional social isolation this means working to blend communities so that hey can learn form each other.

Social isolation can be geographical, and emotional as well as social and all these dimensions were apparent if in small ways in the data. Social isolation is linked to loneliness and lack of communication and contact for co-operative activities. The work of the community development professional is to link people and to develop groups and networks to minimise isolation and this becomes increasingly possible in a technological world. The literature on social isolation links it to low self worth, shame, loneliness and mental health issues. This signals to the community development professional, the need to work on ways of developing confidence and contact for at risk residents. The respondents were

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aware that this can be done through the simple means of classes on, for example, quilting or a men’s shed.

Empowerment is a process in which a community and its residents become stronger and more confident. Thinking of power and freedom to do things, there is the concept of negative and positive freedom. These terms combine the notion of barriers, which prevent freedom and barriers, which are choices made by the individual. For example a door may be closed and prevent access but an individual may also choose not to open the door. Power is not considered by the author to be something that some people have and others do not; rather it is present in every small transaction between people. The findings of this research suggest that barriers to empowerment can be considered both structural in terms of geographical distance from decision making and cultural in terms of the choices made by member of the community. Community resilience is key to this community development process as disempowerment in relation to social change and transition was apparent. Communities that are resilient have healthy and engaged people and have an inclusive culture, which creates a positive sense of place (Carnegie, 2011).

Trust is crucial to community development. The community development professional needs to work to build trust. Trust can be defined as a reliance on the integrity, strength and surety of a relationship. This demands a long term process in which reliance is developed. Another definition of trust is ‘the confident expectation of something, hope’. This confidence is built over time and from experience. Living in hope, which forms the title of this report is apparent in the community if the community is troubled by the changes and transitions in which it finds itself. Key methods of generating this respect and trust involve asset-based approaches such as community-led mapping, risk analysis and oral history as some examples. These non-threatening activities will generate relationships that can be used later for more targeted well being content

5.2 Recommendations

It is proposed that improvement in well being should be tackled through investment in community development through a range of organisations which seek to enhance well being and that this be viewed as a long term investment.

It is proposed that a strategic overview of development should be managed by the Well Being Network in association with similar networks managed by the CLD profession.

This planning could be facilitated through a one day strategic planning conference hosted by the Network, which would bring together the networks for planning the community development initiatives in Kincardine and Mearns.

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5.3 Implications for Managers

It is unrealistic to expect that all organisations can afford this long term and resource intensive investment. Shorter term initiatives can and do contribute to a strategic community development overview, which is why it is so important to build on the Well Being Network to facilitate this. Key public sector partners with a community development focus can facilitate this development process most easily and the voluntary sector which is less resource intensive can link into this process so that there is a shared value base and objective of engaging with the community from grass roots levels to tackle cultural and social issues.

Community development work is apparent in individual pockets in the communities; what is missing is a strategic overview that links the development work to well being. The Well Being Network is well placed to develop strategic plans to which all can contribute and this should link in to the expertise and networks in the profession of Community Learning and Development (CLD). The Well Being Network and CLD professionals have overlapping expertise and networks and it would be advantageous to bring these together through the former.

For managers, the implications of this approach are that more sophisticated measures of success are required than simple measures of input and output in term of activities run and attendance. The measures of success need to embrace those aspects of individuals, groups and communities that are harder to measure in terms of engagement, confidence, inclusion, resilience and empowerment. There will also need to be considerable investment in staff time for this development work, which can run in parallel to the development of specific services. Additional education and training is appropriate for those staff for whom community development will be new. Longer term investment is necessary for community development purposes. Short term investment supports community development but it should be viewed in a more strategic context.

6. Outputs and Outcomes

- A report detailing why people in Kincardine and Mearns do/do not participate in activities linked to well being;

- A cadre of professionals educated in methods of data collection, interpretation and analysis in community settings;

- Presentation of findings to relevant stakeholders with an interest in well being;

- Recommendations on methods of securing greater engagement in well being activities;

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- A group of 60+ people in Kincardine and Mearns who have thought and learnt about their own and others’ attitudes to participation.

All the outputs and outcomes outlined above have been met.

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7. The Researcher

Professor Karen McArdle, Professor Emerita in Education has more than 30 years experience working in community settings both in Scotland and overseas. She is a specialist in educational research and has conducted interdisciplinary research in well being over the last 5 years. She has taught research practice over many years to students in social work, community learning and development and health professions, focusing in particular on participatory and empowering methodologies. She was resident in Kincardine and Mearns at the time of the study.

8. References

Carnegie UK (2011) Exploring Community Resilience in times of rapid change. Carnegie UK Trust, Dunfermline.

Christens, B. D. (2012) Targeting Empowerment in community development: a community psychology approach to enhancing local power and well-being. Community Development Journal Vol 47 No 4 538 – 554

Eagleton, T. (2106) Culture Yale University Press, New Haven.

Kilpatrick, S. (2009) Multi-level rural community engagement in health. Australian Journal of rural Health 17 39 – 44

Milton. B., Attree, P., French, B., Povall.S., Whitehead, M., Popay, J. (2011) The impact of community engagement on health and social outcomes: a systematic review. Community Development Journal Advance Access June 23, 2011

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