PRESS RELEASE : March 16th 2022
Lothian Estates Office, Jedburgh, Scottish Borders

Lothian Estates has joined forces with the business tenants at Harestanes to create a welcoming destination for family and community activities. The popular spot at Harestanes has been a “go to” destination for many years for local families, walkers, and visitors from far and wide. Generations of families have come to Harestanes to enjoy the wide access to local walks and activities. Live Borders has ended its lease and an exciting new collaboration will now welcome existing and new generations.
 
Harestanes has been struggling to meet visitor expectation over recent years and the need for change and development has arrived. Live Borders and local authority have been unable to maintain an attractive and wide-reaching audience. The new developments are a response to many requests for more educationally and environmentally based activity. The independent businesses based at the centre are fully supportive of this improved offering and more age inclusive community-based participation.
 
"We need to regroup and broaden the visitor appeal. The educational, environmental and quality food offering had been eroded over the past four or five years. This collective approach involving Lothian Estates, the independently operating businesses and local community approach will deliver a more contemporary and varied visitor destination. There is a public demand and need to recreate a welcoming sense of place and enjoyable, interesting activity."
Eoin Cox, Owner, Buy Design Gallery, Harestanes
 
The Lothian Family and in particular Peter Kerr 12th Marquis of Lothian was particularly keen to support craft making and address environmental issues. Originally redesigned as a model dairy farm in the 1870’s the existing buildings have been home to many craft workers since the 1970’s. The estate has always been ready to welcome walkers and nature enthusiasts. This will continue and a hub for demonstrating the living and working landscape is to be created. The opportunities for a local and broader community are very exciting.

"Core to creating a great customer base is a welcoming and enjoyable experience. Past two years has shown us that outdoor based destinations and activity has been popular. Not because of restrictions, but because our customers want better, independently run, ethically minded service. Our new premises will give them just that."
Eilidh Cox, Out-There Artisan, Harestanes

"We have been looking for a base for our community activity now for years and having a working base at Harestanes will allow a programme of site-specific work and allow many interesting and varied volunteering opportunities. We can’t wait to get started  and support this new development."
Spokesperson, Volunteer Scotland

This new collaboration Visit Harestanes will be driven by community participation and local input. An open-door hub will become a focus for volunteering, educational outreach, localised environmentally based projects, green and ethical businesses and great visitor experience for all ages.
 
Name of Press Contact:
Ben Burbridge, Factor, Lothian Estates
Phone : 07739 071279
Email : [email protected]
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​Over the past five years, an independent body of research has shown that engagement with nature improves people’s health and wellbeing

The research showed that participating in nature conservation had a positive impact on those with low levels of mental wellbeing. It also showed that general volunteering programmes, and activities targeted at those with a health or social need, are excellent value for money.

Impacts on health
People’s mental wellbeing significantly improved over the 12-week period. Improvements were greatest for people who were new to volunteering programmes. Participants reported enhanced feelings of positivity, increased general health and higher levels of physical activity.

Key findings were
95% of participants with low levels of mental wellbeing when they started a volunteering programme reported an improvement in their mental health in six weeks.
69% of all participants’ mental wellbeing improved after six weeks.
On average there was a statistically significant rise of 8.1%.
Relating to nature the participants reported significant increases in their connection to nature. This was common to all participants, and revealed that deeper, more personal relationships with the natural world could be fostered over a 12-week period

Participants reported positive changes in how they felt about themselves, other people and the importance of nature including:
Increased feelings of pride.
Feeling like valued members of society.
Increased awareness of the importance of nature

The results showed that people who have regular contact with wilder, natural surroundings experienced:
Improvements to health through increased physical activity.
Reductions in stress and anxiety.
Increased positive mood and self-esteem.
A better and healthier social life