The Case for Driving Lessons in Rural Scotland
The Langhope Rig Wind Farm Education and Training Fund values the importance of driving lessons to improve access to education, employment and social participation.
About the fund
The Langhope Rig Wind Farm Education and Training Fund provides bursaries to residents of Ettrick & Yarrow, Lilliesleaf, Ashkirk & Midlem and Upper Teviotdale & Borthwick Water Community Council areas to help them access training and education opportunities that better equip them with the range of skills needed to enter or retain employment. The fund is provided from Langhope Rig Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund.
The purpose of the Langhope Rig Wind Farm Education & Training Fund is to improve the opportunities and livelihoods of people living in Ettrick & Yarrow, Lilliesleaf, Ashkirk & Midlem and Upper Teviotdale & Borthwick Water.
Charitable Purposes: The Case for Driving Lessons in Rural Scotland
In the Scottish Borders' scattered communities, the ability to drive provides access to opportunity, education, employment and social participation. The Langhope Rig Fund Education and Training Fund considers driving lessons as an important intervention that advances multiple charitable purposes that the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) supports, whilst delivering public benefit across the fund area.
The Importance of Driving Lessons in Rural Communities
Employment opportunities in rural areas are spread across large distances and typically located in market towns or urban centres that are inaccessible without private transportation. Educational institutions concentrate in urban centres, creating barriers for rural residents who are dependent on (at times) inadequate public transport. Further education, apprenticeships, and professional training become accessible only through private transport.
As a young student noted during their application to the E&T Fund:
I am hoping to pass my driving test as soon as possible, living in a rural area, this will enable me to seek employment and also allow travel to college.
Limited opportunities can drive away young people from rural communities, hollowing out populations and perpetuating economic decline. Providing driving lessons addresses several interconnected challenges simultaneously, enabling residents to reach more opportunities while remaining in rural communities and supporting local sustainability.
Education and Training Priorities - Decision Making Panel
The Langhope Rig Wind Farm Community Fund decision-making panel comprises local community members who provide valuable insight into their local area. The panel focuses on supporting community members to learn to drive, enabling access to employment and educational opportunities while helping retain the local population. In 2025, as part of a wider Langhope Rig Wind Farm Education and Training Fund review, the fund was promoted through local newsletters to raise awareness of driving lesson opportunities. This led to increased applications for driving lessons, which remains a key focus for the panel.
Evidence Base and Impact Analysis
Nearly a quarter of all awarded funding through the fund has helped people learn to drive. Eight residents have received driving lesson grants totalling £5,340. The fund serves young people transitioning to employment, adults pursuing career development, individuals requiring specialised vehicle training, and participants combining driving instruction with further education. Each category demonstrates how mobility unlocks multiple pathways, creating compound benefits extending beyond initial investment.
How does an Education and Training Fund tie into OSCR's Charitable Purposes?
OSCR recognises unemployment relief as poverty prevention, particularly where employment opportunities are geographically dispersed and public transport is inadequate. When job centres are twenty miles away with poor transport links, unemployment often results from access barriers rather than skills gaps. Educational advancement includes skill development that extends beyond traditional classrooms.
In rural areas, driving skills provide essential access to geographically distant educational opportunities, training programmes, and professional development. Relief of poverty becomes especially significant in rural contexts where transport poverty intersects with socio-economic disadvantage. When essential services, employment, and education are concentrated in distant towns, geographic isolation creates barriers to economic advancement.
Conclusion
The fund's methodology recognises interconnected educational, employment, and transport barriers. By funding driving lessons alongside course fees and equipment, the fund addresses root causes rather than symptoms, creating sustainable change and building individual and community capacity simultaneously.
The fund demonstrates effective rural charitable intervention by addressing transport as a key barrier to opportunity. By funding driving lessons, it advances charitable purposes, delivers public benefit, and creates lasting impact beyond individual recipients.
Read more about the Langhope Rig Wind Farm Education and Training Fund