BEGINS the event blurb: “Daytime TV is filled with the promise of A Simple Life, an Escape to the Country or a New Life in the Wild, a popular internet meme is #cottagecore – an idealisation of a pastoral life and escape from the dangers of the modern world.
“These trends have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-pandemic changes in working practice which allow more people to work remotely.
“But, what do we need to do to ensure that rural communities benefit from the growth in remote working, how can we enable young people to remain and return to rural communities, and prevent depopulation and enable repopulation, without precipitating the gentrification and geriatrification of our rural communities?”