A new national organisation has been launched to improve the lives of transgender people living in rural areas, tackling isolation and limited access to healthcare and community support.

Rural Trans Alliance CIC, founded this year by 22-year-old Dewi Emberton from Powys, is the UK’s first organisation dedicated solely to addressing the challenges faced by trans people outside urban centres.

The group’s mission is to improve the lives of transgender people across rural UK communities by working to ensure equitable access to services, strengthening community inclusion, and empowering both trans individuals and professionals in contact with the trans community with accurate, accessible information.

“Growing up in Powys shaped me,” said Dewi. “I’ve seen both the beauty and the challenges of rural life: the strength and solidarity of its communities, and also, the isolation that many face. I firmly believe that rural life is further enriched for all when transgender people are fully included in every aspect of it.”

The organisation highlights the disproportionate barriers rural trans people face, including restricted access to gender-affirming healthcare, lack of local support networks, and difficulties accessing accurate information. National research has shown that trans and non-binary individuals in the UK experience discrimination and disruption in healthcare services, with these issues magnified in rural areas due to longer travel distances and fewer alternative providers.

Dewi founded Rural Trans Alliance to address the persistent and often invisible inequities faced by transgender people in the countryside. His lived experience growing up in rural Wales fuels his commitment to ensuring that trans people can live, work, and thrive in the communities they call home, from agriculture to local business. He began his advocacy with the LGBT Foundation and later worked on regional LGBTQ+ community projects - and is now focusing on returning to his rural roots to create long-term change.