Arts, culture and heritage

Scotland’s community tourism network is launching a nationwide roadshow in a bid to support existing community tourism providers and encourage more communities to take a lead in providing grassroots owned tourism facilities and services.

An agreement to invest £100 million in the future economic prosperity of Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides was signed today (20th January) in Orkney by UK and Scottish Government Ministers and the Council Leaders of the three island groups.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust have just released an excellent and engaging film about the relationship between islanders and the sea focusing on Orkney. 'Our film – Oceans of Value', captures interviews with 26 local people in Orkney to unearth their values and relationship with the sea, how they have seen the marine environment change and how they would like to see it managed in the future.

The Scottish Land Commission is driving a programme of land reform spanning both urban and rural land, to create a Scotland where land is owned and used in ways that are fair, responsible and productive.

Over 180 diverse projects across rural Scotland, will receive grants ranging from £100,000 to less than £500, from the Rural & Island Communities Ideas into Action (RICIA) fund.

The fund encourages and supports not-for-profit community groups with innovative approaches to community-led local development which include solutions to net zero and just transition goals, tackling rural poverty and supporting rural communities through the cost crisis.

Information on the Scottish Government Population Programme published.

The Population Programme is a cross-cutting programme of work which aims to deliver Scotland’s Population Strategy, which articulates a vision for Scotland’s population profile to provide a platform for economic success, prosperity and wellbeing across Scotland’s communities.