Darren McGarvey's Scotland

In this fifth episode, Darren McGarvey travels to the Borders. The terrain may not be familiar to him but the issues are.

It is a large area stretching from south of Lothian to north of the English border, with rolling hills and farmland, but as Darren observes: “You could be forgiven, when immersed in such idyllic scenery like this, for thinking that poverty is not an issue here in the Borders. It actually is, it’s just that it isn’t visible in the same way as some of Scotland’s urban areas.”

Along with poverty, there is an issue with mental health problems, and Darren meets a range of people to understand how this impacts in rural areas.

As he walks around the streets of Melrose, he reveals how he has struggled with mental health problems, coming very close to the edge.
His own story is reflected in an interview in Galashiels, where he meets lorry driver Glen, who found himself homeless and jobless in the wake of a relationship break-up - a situation which came to a head when Glen attempted suicide. He was saved by a passing policeman.

Darren also meets Steven, who has Tourette’s, and hears how ongoing benefits assessments are stressing Steven and worsening his condition, causing full-blown attacks where he effectively has seizures sometimes lasting more than an hour.

He meets up with Julie Cameron of the Mental Health Foundation, who has done a review into the health provision in the Borders and finds that rural isolation can also add to the problem.

Children living in poverty are twice as likely to develop a mental health disorder, but an initiative in Eyemouth is providing some therapy through horse-riding.

It is led by Dani McKinnon, of Eat, Sleep, Ride, who reveals how her own difficulties in childhood have helped her shape the venture for children with such issues, and Darren also meets Johnny, who has ongoing anxiety and confidence issues after a childhood being shunted around the care system, but is now getting experience doing some building work on a big estate.

Publicity contact: HM