So, it’s been a busy few weeks!

We were given the opportunity to stay overnight in Pitlochry allowing us two full days for our primary research. I can honestly say it was one of the best and most exhausting experiences I’ve had. We were able to speak to so many different people and immerse ourselves in the place.

We spoke to Policemen, tourists, carers and everyone in between and got a real understanding of things. Over 30% of people living in Pitlochry are elderly and we wanted to understand what services were available and if there was room for improvement or the creation of new services.

In doing this, we discovered that there is no strong sense of community in the area. There is also a gap between young and old and not much integration. Although the project focuses on the elderly and services our group (team2) believe that a sense of community can benefit everyone. It would create a stronger support system for those living in the area.

At the moment we are looking at what benefits we want from the project – for example:

‘I want to get rid of the old and young stigmas.’

‘I want to find a way to create a place that allows everyone to escape their everyday lives.’

‘I want to make people feel supported.’

From this we want to identify the main benefits we want to achieve. We will then take them forward and start to brainstorm ideas for a service that can potentially achieve them.

At the moment, there is so much information and it’s important that we take the right information forward. It is impossible to solve all of the problems we found but we are determined to make a difference – however small – to create a strong community and a more sustainable future for Pitlochry and its services.

Karen (team2)