Jayne Dowle: Reconnecting urban and rural for a digital age

In short, it is a total celebration of the beauty and splendour of the British coastline. When it comes on the television, I almost want to stand up and sing the National Anthem. I’d like to see another ad just like this, but featuring the beauty and splendour of the British countryside. And what better time to think about it than this week, with the Great Yorkshire Show in full swing? There has never been a better time to shout about what we’ve got.

Our own county features some of the most beautiful and splendid countryside not just in Britain, but in the world. From the craggy grandeur of the North Pennines to the rolling farmland of the Wolds, there is nowhere to beat it. Even in the rain.

Are we guilty of taking it all for granted though? Those of us who live in towns and cities often stand accused of going about our daily business without giving the countryside a second thought. Yet, when we stop and think about it, those distant hills and fields are not just part of our Yorkshire identity, the geology on which our fortune was built.

It’s where our food comes from, for a start. I’d like to see much more awareness about how food gets from farm to plate. How many children are growing up just assuming that food lands in the shop or supermarket, without knowing about how it was actually produced?

I understand the constraints and demands of the curriculum at both primary and secondary level, but surely there are ways of bringing this into learning? I’m pleased to say that both my children do cookery at school. How fantastic it would be if their teachers could chose a local, regional or seasonal ingredient – let’s say rhubarb for instance – and set them a dish to create out if it. Not only would they enjoy the challenge, but they would also learn about what is being grown on their doorstep.

The key word is “connection”. There is simply not enough of it between rural and urban areas. Still so much suspicion and misunderstanding, and that’s between people, never mind the politicians who make policy decisions from the comfort of their air-conditioned offices.

Food illustrates this very well, but the issue goes much wider. What about transport, for example? There are so many villages and rural areas without any public transport to speak of at all. So many youngsters – and older people – literally marooned without a car.

We speak excitedly of the economic promise of the Northern Powerhouse, and talk about the benefits of HS3 and improved trans-Pennine rail connections.

What though of those who can’t even get out of their homes to catch a train to anywhere? Promises to improve bus services always seem to come to nothing, especially with swingeing cut after swingeing cut to public funding. Politicians really need to take the issue of public transport seriously. They can get it right – to the greater extent – in cities such as Leeds and Sheffield. Why then do they continue to get it so wrong in the countryside? More investment is needed in imaginative and sustainable solutions.

Talk about connection. We townies might take the countryside for granted, but we don’t know how lucky we are with our broadband and our wifi.

The last Government’s promise of connecting 95 per cent of British homes and businesses to superfast broadband by 2017 sounds impressive, but what of the five per cent left behind? I only have to drive about three miles to find that I can’t pick up emails on my smartphone. And I live in the middle of Barnsley, for heaven’s sake.

I’m sorry if this sounds like one of those “first world problems”. It’s not meant to. It is meant to sound like the lament of one who attempts to run her own business in a digital world which promises to keep me in touch but then fails spectacularly to deliver. If I go up to certain parts of North Yorkshire for work for the day, I can almost guarantee that I won’t be able to pick up a shred of wifi signal for hours. How many opportunities to earn money might I miss in that time? I’ll be modest. Not that many.

The point remains though that in the super-fast pace of the modern world we live in, individuals need to stay connected. I would really, really like the government to recognise this and to realise that outside the cossetted confines of Westminster, the digital world can be a very lonely place indeed.

However, let’s be positive. As this new National Trust campaign proves, we still have much to be proud of in this country. It’s great to love the coast. This week though, as we celebrate all that is great about Yorkshire, let’s not forget to love the countryside too.