THE Scottish areas with the kindest inhabitants in terms of charity support and environmental awareness have been revealed.
The research, by care experts Guardian Carers, used the latest data from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), the ONS, and Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) to explore recycling rates, the number of registered charities and the kilotons of CO2 emitted per square kilometre in Scotland, to discover which Scottish region is the most caring of all.
It found Na h’Eilenan Siar (The Outer Hebrides) is the most caring area in Scotland, with the highest number of charities per 100,000 people and some of the lowest carbon emissions in the country.
Second on the list is the Scottish Borders, with 52.8% of waste recycled, 809 registered charities (1433.30 per 100,000 people) and 0.1 kilotons of CO2 emitted per square kilometre in Scotland – giving the area an index score of 25.19.
READ MORE: Here are Scotland's most popular visitor attractions in 2021
Angus is the third most caring region in Scotland, with the highest rate of recycling in the country (57.9%), as well as low carbon emissions (0.3 per 100,000 people) and a high number of registered charities (563).
Moray, Perth and Kinross and Argyll and Bute also rank high on the index of the most caring areas in Scotland. Argyll and Bute has the lowest amount of carbon emissions – zero kilotons per square kilometre – in the whole of Scotland.
At the other end of the scale, Glasgow ranks lowest on the index, with the highest carbon emissions (13.7 kilotons per square kilometre) in Scotland. The city also has one of the lowest percentages of recycled waste (29.6%) in Scotland and a lower number of registered charities than other areas in the country.
A spokesperson for Guardian Carers said: “This data offers us a compelling insight into which areas of Scotland dominate when it comes to kindness in terms of charity support and environmental awareness.
"Interestingly, it is the less well-known and more rural areas of Scotland, such as Na h-Eileanan Siar and the Scottish Borders which lead the way when it comes to charity work and helping others, as well as kindness to our environment, above the major cities."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here