Change in the UK's Rural Areas

Geography: AQA GCSE, topic 5.2.4

Social & Economic Change in the UK's Rural Areas

Changes in the UK's economy have changed rural areas across the UK.

Cumbria contains the Lake District and towns like Oxenholme, Keswick, and Kendal.
Cumbria is seeing de-population in the area. As a result, some local schools are being shut down and there are fewer shops for local people.
Tourism is one of the main sources of Cumbria's income and this is very seasonal (strong in the summer, quiet for the rest of the year).
Even in Cumbria, some areas are growing. The James Cropper paper factory and business create work for lots of people in the town of Burneside.

The populations of some rural areas have increased because commuters want to live in a quiet area but also work close to major cities.
Towns in north Somerset like Nailsea are ideal for people who work in Bristol.
Towns like Sevenoaks are ideal for people who work in London.
House prices and congestion rise when commuters move into a rural town like Nailsea.

Hereford is a city near the English border with Wales.
It is home to Bulmers, the maker of Bulmers' cider.
Cider farms have very seasonal work, harvesting apples at certain times of the year.
The population of the towns surrounding cider farms grows at harvest times.
Lots of people who work on the harvest are immigrants from the European Union, which the UK joined in 1973 but left in 2020.
The growth of one industry or one business can help to support the local area.

Which of these rural UK areas has seen recent population declines in its villages?
Which local business accounts for a large proportion of employment in Burneside, Cumbria?