LIKE many rural areas, Radnorshire is dependent upon newcomers and people returning to where they were born or brought up, in order to maintain the population and the services upon which they depend.
Census statistics suggest that the migration rate of the ‘young old’ (at or around retirement age) into Radnorshire is above the national average.
A team of experts from Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Aberdeen have recently undertaken research into residential change and population movement in the wards of Llanyre and Disserth & Trecoed.
Leader of the project, Professor Aileen Stockdale of Queen’s University Belfast, said: “We know that remote rural populations are ageing at a faster rate than the national population as a whole, and Llanyre and Disserth & Trecoed have recently experienced a modest trend of in-migration of middle-aged and older people.
“Our research asked who is moving to the area, where have they moved from, why have they moved, and what are their experiences of moving into the local area.
“The findings greatly enhance our understanding of rural change and help inform rural policy decisions during an era of national demographic ageing.”
The researchers undertook a door-to-door household survey and conducted interviews with local residents and service providers.
Now, the results are being presented at Howey Village Hall on March 31, beginning at 7pm.
Anyone with an interest in the study is invited to come along.
Co-investigator Dr Lorna Philip from the University of Aberdeen said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone who freely gave up their time to participate in this research.
“The Howey event is an opportunity for us to report the main findings from the study to the local community.”
A short summary of the research findings will be available to download on Friday, April 1, from http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/RuralMigration.