The report, entitled 'Breaking Down Barriers', brings together the findings of a number of projects across the region including Devon and Cornwall.

"Feeling like an outsider can occur anywhere," said Naomi Wright of the Countryside Agency''s Active Communities programme.

"There's a widespread misconception that such problems don't really arise in idyllic places, yet the truth is that they simply have a lower profile."

Sources of help and advice are thinly spread in rural areas.

"This actually adds to the burden. In more remote areas, access to help can be much more difficult than for urban populations and it is also harder to find people who share your experiences or needs."

The report highlights how difficult it can be for groups such as those from cultural or sexual minorities or suffering from depression or mental illness to access help and information or to meet people in a similar situation.

The Countryside Agency suggests appointing community development workers who understand how rural areas work and so are better able to build support systems and work to break down barriers.

Ms Wright said: "A clear conclusion is that social exclusion comes with extra baggage in a rural setting."

"There needs to be greater recognition that the countryside is structured differently - pockets of need are further apart, transport, meeting places, and sources of advice and information aren't always readily available."

The initiative's findings will now be pooled with similar reports from other English regions for sharing with national policy-makers.

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