Room to breathe at the Green!

Culbokie Community Trust (CCT) received £40,992 Community Led Local Development (CLLD) - Rural and Island Communities Ideas into Action funding to support development of green space in the heart of the village, Culbokie Green. The funding forms part of the Scottish Rural Delivery Programme (SRDP) and was delivered through Inspiring Scotland. 

Culbokie is a community of 1,250 people on the Black Isle, in the Highlands of Scotland.  It lies 15 miles from Inverness and 7 miles from Dingwall and overlooks the Cromarty Firth, with Ben Wyvis in the background.

The Trust was set up in 2014 to develop a new gathering space and community hub in the centre of the village. It was developed on land purchased by CCT in 2015 and is known as the Glascairn Community Project. The ambition is that the new facility will ultimately include a café, a digitally connected health room, a flexi space for community activities and some business rental space together with a covered outdoor space, plus outside seating, play areas and gardens.

Culbokie Green has become a car-free haven in the heart of the village providing a community gathering space, a local destination for informal recreation and an off-road walking route through part of the village. The Green has been designed to be attractive to all sections of the community with the following features:

• Meadows which will be cut once or twice per year to promote flowering and encourage butterflies and bees

• Mown areas suitable for playing and to keep the Green looking tidy

• Winding paths with bench seating to encourage people to stop, rest and chat

• Native trees to provide some shelter, amenity and wildlife interest

• A community orchard including apples, pears, cherries and plums as a focus for community involvement and to promote engagement with local food

• A timber shelter with a natural roof which is a focal point for community events and learning

• Family games including outdoor table tennis

• A natural play area for younger children including log and boulder features, willow dens and tunnels.

• Safe active travel connectivity to the rest of the village

The Green is a community venture and is supported by volunteers called the Green Team. Members work together to make sure that Culbokie Green is as interesting, people friendly, biodiverse and an attractive place to be. Anyone can be part of the Green Team which meets regularly and provides a great opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. 

Watch the video case study to fnd out the community took forward the development of the Green, how CLLD funding supported them and how they found the process of accessing funding. 

View video here