Since 2021, a small group of passionate individuals have been trying to make Aberfeldy the Healthiest Town in Scotland.
Inspired by the concept of “blue zones”, the group formed the ‘Healthiest Town’ initiative.
“Those are five areas in the world where more people than anywhere else live to 100 years,” explains Jonathon Will.
Jonathon is a specialist paramedic with NHS Tayside. He has seen the consequences of unhealthy lifestyles throughout his career.
He was one of the founding members of the Healthiest Town.
“We dug deep into what these people in blue zones do,” he explains.
“Although they are all very different culturally, they all lived quite outdoor lives, they all had good connections with people, and a strong sense of family.
“They also moved every day and they didn’t have much access to processed food.”
The similarities between the behaviour of people in those “blue zones” intrigued the group, and they decided on four characteristics of a healthy lifestyle.
These are now the pillars of the group:
- Move more
- Eat well
- Find balance in life
- Connect with people, nature and purpose
Dave Ashcroft, an Aberfeldy GP and another founding member of the group, tells me: “I’m very aware that there’s a juggernaut of diabetes and obesity on the way.
“Every week just about, I see a new diabetic.
“We would sit at our work lunchtimes and think we had to do something about this.
“At the same time though, we didn’t want to do something that was wagging the finger.
“We wanted to do something positive and fun.
“At the end of the day, saying we’ll become Scotland’s healthiest town is a bit of a cheeky challenge, a bit tongue in cheek.”
So how is Aberfeldy’s journey to becoming the ‘Healthiest Town’ going?
Aberfeldy has actually been on this journey for a lot longer than three years.
An urge to help the population become a bit healthier is something the group share with an Aberfeldy doctor who practised around 50 years ago, Dr Walter Yellowlees.
In September 1974 the manifesto from his group included this aim: “To spread the knowledge of the relationship between soil fertility, food and health.”
The influence of the doctor was such that a low GI bread, inspired by his work to improve the town’s access to nutritious food, can still be purchased in Breadalbane Bakery and Pantry in Aberfeldy.
“People have been having these conversations for fifty, sixty years,” says Jonathon.
“But we have not really moved forward with it.”
Since the group began their journey in 2021, they have strived to further that important conversation.
“It’s never going to be an overnight success,” says Imogen Karas, a member of the core group.
“It’s going to take years, because we’re up against a culture of some unhealthy lifestyles.
“But one person making a small change can impact the next person, and the next person, and then you create a domino effect.”
Imogen believes that Aberfeldy already has characteristics of the “blue zones” elsewhere in the world.
“You might say that it already is a blue zone,” she says.
“If you look in the window of the funeral directors, it’s remarkable how old people are when they die here. It’s well into their nineties.
“But it is a key point that we don’t just want people to live into their nineties and hundreds, it’s about living healthily.
“We talk about health span rather than lifespan. It’s the length of time you live healthily.
“That obviously has implications on resources, healthcare and social care.”
What changes have the Healthiest Town group inspired in Aberfeldy?
So how do the team put those key pillars into action?
“I was a personal trainer before I was a paramedic,” Jonathon tells me.
“We don’t really care whether you’re a vegan, or if you want a paleo diet, a caveman diet, or whatever it is, just eat real food. Cut out all the processed stuff.
“We don’t mind if you don’t like running or sports, just don’t be sedentary. Dance, walk or gardening, just find something that gets you moving every day.
“And it’s also important to find quiet times where you can slow down and relax.
“Humans need a connection with other people, with nature and a sense of purpose too.”
The group have a member of the team called a “physical activity link worker”, who works with individuals to try to encourage people to be more active.
She also runs group projects, including a walk measuring the distance from the village of Dull in Perth and Kinross to Boring in Oregon.
The Healthiest Town group also run cooking classes to improve people’s skills in the kitchen, and fermenting workshops too.
They have also created a food network locally, connecting producers and the social supermarket.
They also hosted a breathing session, various mental health workshops, and health-focused film showings in the Aberfeldy cinema.
The Healthiest Town have also been an inspiration to others, with Northmuir Primary School in Kirriemuir trying to become the healthiest school in Scotland.
“I really would like this to be cradle to grave,” adds Jonathon, “but actually, it should be pre-cradle – when you’re in your mum’s tummy – we need people to look after themselves throughout the whole journey.”
Emma Burtles is another member of the Healthiest Town initiative in Aberfeldy.
“We want this to be an inspiration to people,” she says.
“There is knowledge out there about what people can do to help themselves, whether that’s moving more or differently, and we want to be an encouragement to people.
“We want people to be the healthiest version of themselves that they can be.
“We can all be better versions of ourselves.
“Even people who are winning gold medals in the Olympics can do something better, whether that’s to do with their physical health or mental health.”
Although Emma has worked as a yoga instructor for 19 years, and sees herself as healthy physically, being involved in the Healthiest Town group has helped her assess and improve her overall health.
“It has encouraged me to think about all the many aspects of health,” says Emma, “like mental health.
“I am absolutely ‘Miss Busypants’. I’ll say ‘I’ll do that, and that, and that’.
“But I do too much and end up knackered.
“So it’s about finding balance between work and play.”
What will it take for Aberfeldy to become Scotland’s healthiest town?
“We always get asked,” says Jonathon, “how are we going to know when we’ve made a difference?
“How are we going to know when we’re the healthiest town?
“How do you measure this?
“There are a lot of different metrics we could potentially calculate. We could send off blood results, and get folk monitored through watches.
“I guess ultimately, we won’t find out for the next fifty years, when we see if the next generation is a bit healthier.
“In the short term, if we can see the differences that we’re making to individuals, that is what makes it meaningful.”
The Healthiest Town group in Aberfeldy are hosting a festival, running from August 23 to September 1, which aims to encourage local people to eat healthy produce that is grown in their area.
The planned events include workshops with Little Trochy Farm, a foraging walk, film screenings, potato talks, farm visits and more.
Read more about the Open Gate Festival here.
Conversation