Countryside connections

Rural England and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have today launched a consultation focused on how to “unlock rural Britain’s digital potential”. The rural think tank and academic college have been commissioned by Amazon to gather the views of rural businesses of all sizes and sectors across the UK.

In particular, the report aims to develop a greater understanding of how to “grow the digital economy in rural areas through e-commerce, exports and productivity gains”.

In a statement issued by Amazon yesterday (24 July), Brian Wilson, Chair of Directors at Rural England, was quoted as saying: “Considerable attention has been paid to the lack of connectivity in rural parts of Britain, and whilst that remains an important issue, we will look more at areas where there’s a strong digital infrastructure and how effectively it’s being used.

“The digital economy is critical to the long term prosperity of rural areas.

“Our evidence-based study, working with key stakeholders and rural businesses across the country, will be the first of its kind and we look forward to understanding how to accelerate growth of the digital economy in rural areas.”

Doug Gurr, UK Country Manager, Amazon, added: “We believe that the digital revolution can create significant growth and job opportunities for the rural economy and bridge the urban-rural divide.

“As long as you have a laptop, internet connection and a great product, you can now be local and sell global. We’ve seen thousands of rural businesses do just that through Amazon Marketplace. We welcome and encourage rural businesses of all shapes and sizes from across rural Britain to participate in this important research project.”