Somerset is one of the most rural counties in England. When a population is widely dispersed across a large area it creates difficulties not only for people to travel to access services, but also for other service providers to reach people. Somerset Rural Youth Project (SRYP) is a registered charity which aims to engage and support young people in rural areas in a range of social, economic, educational and recreational opportunities.
Details of two key pieces of research undertaken by SRYP – looking at the attitudes, experiences, and expectations of young people in rural Somerset – are available below.
As part of a 2014/15 Somerset JSNA focus on rurality, SRYP engaged young people in focus groups to examine the quality of life for 16-24 year olds in rural communities. The key findings follow, grouped by discussion theme:
Young people were supportive of the concept of the County Ticket (costs £650 / year and gives almost unlimited access to the public bus network in Somerset) but thought that it was expensive and may not represent good value for young people in rural areas where bus services are poor.
