Episode 4

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Published on:

2nd Sep 2025

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About the Podcast

Highlands Reimagined
Beyond the postcard view, rural Scotland faces a depopulation crisis. In Mackay Country, in North West Sutherland, host Will Sadler joins local students to investigate why young people are leaving the region and what it will take for them to stay or...
Beyond the postcard view, rural Scotland faces a depopulation crisis.

In Mackay Country, in North West Sutherland, host Will Sadler joins local students to investigate why young people are leaving the region and what it will take for them to stay or return.

Through conversations with people tasked to encourage resettlment, the Scottish Land Commission, local business owners and regional campaigns for community self-agency, the students discuss the pressing issues facing the Scottish Highlands today; whether housing shortages, insecure jobs, struggling schools and concentrated land ownership.
 
From the legacy of the Highland Clearances, to modern community-led action, discover the modern stories of resiliance and the fight for a sustinable future for this beautiful place.

Highlands Reimagined is commissioned by https://www.strathnavermuseum.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Strathnaver Museum, produced byhttps://www.anyamedia.net/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Anya Media and published in partnership with the https://www.wildforscotland.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wild for Scotland podcast.

Find out more at https://highlandsreimagined.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">highlandsreimagined.com

About your host

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Will Sadler

My name is Will Sadler and I am a filmmaker and sound producer who has worked with the North East’s not-for-profit sector for over 20 years.

Sound Production
I entered sound production in 2017, when I was commissioned to create a short podcast series called "Atlantic Edge" about Durness, the most north-westerly settlement on the Scottish mainland. Since 2018, I have worked alongside Kim Tserkezie, Andy Jones and Kema Sikazwe to make radio documentaries and podcasts for the BBC World Service, including "Migrants Mean Business", "Funeral Punks", "Finders Keepers" and "The Reclaimers". Our shows have received ‘pick of the week’ in The Times and The Observer and The Reclaimers was featured on BBC World Service’s ‘Pick of the World’ which highlights its shows that have generated the most social media interest.

I help organisations to create their own podcasts and have been working alongside Blue Cabin to create their monthly show "The Creative Life Story Work Podcast" since 2021. In 2023, I started co-hosting a show for the first time, "Lively Minds: the Mental Health Podcast".

Supporting disabled and neurodivergent talent
In 2011, I co-founded Beacon Films, a production company that supports the talents of disabled and neurodivergent filmmakers. In recent years I have started integrating my own lived experiences of mental health challenges into this work, which has included writing, co-hosting "Lively Minds: the mental health podcast" and appearing on panels to discuss mental health in film and TV.

My own filmmaking career
My own personal filmmaking career began in 2004, when I started my own production company which specialised in productions for the cultural, educational and charitable sectors. I made a lot of films with museums, including the short period drama: "Siege and Storm" for Discovery Museum in Newcastle and the documentary: "A Part of Who We Are" for Strathnaver Museum in the northern Scottish Highlands. Other works were exhibited at Tate Britain and the Laing Art Gallery. In 2012 I started working with the Museums Association to record their annual conference and I continue to work as part of their live-stream team that broadcasts the conference to an audience of thousands.