Community development

A housing project in a small community on the Isle of Mull has won one of the 2017 SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration.

The Ulva Ferry Housing project took home the Housing award at the award ceremony on 7 December. The project is delivering affordable family housing in a remote rural community on the West Coast of the Isle of Mull, tackling depopulation and socio-economic decline. 

WAT IF? (Woolfords, Auchengray and Tarbrax Improvement Foundation) has taken its first step into the property market by purchasing a three-bedroom house in the rural village of Tarbrax.

WAT IF? plans to refurbish the property and convert it into an affordable rental to meet local housing needs. Work is expected to start on the house next summer with new tenants in place by the end of the year.

The finalists for the 2018 Scottish Rural Awards have been announced.

The Scottish Rural Awards, partnered by Scottish Field magazine and the Scottish Countryside Alliance, celebrate the industry, innovation, dedication and community spirit of those who live and work in the countryside.

Finalists have been announced for the following eleven award categories:

Local Government Minister Kevin Stewart has set out new legislation aimed to simplify and improve the planning system in Scotland.

The Planning (Scotland) Bill was introduced on 4 December and will create a new structure with clearer development plans, earlier engagement with communities, streamlined procedures and smarter resourcing.

Mr Stewart said:

Emilie Lindbladh from Angus LEADER/European Maritime and Fisheries Fund tells us about the Arbroath Litter Summit which took place on 13 November 2017 in Arbroath.

The community group East Haven Together launched Scotland’s first community-led litter summit on 13 November, fully funded by LEADER. They provided a powerful voice for members of the public involved in clean up initiatives throughout the county. The event brought together representatives from across the Angus community.

Angus and Fife LEADER had the pleasure of hosting a study party from North-Harju, Estonia, to share ideas and inspiration for local rural development projects. 

The Estonian party of 22 delegates was drawn from members of their LEADER LAG, which is involved with rural development at enterprise or community level. They were here for three days and had the opportunity to visit a range of our projects.

Paths for All's Community Active Travel Grants scheme is now open for applications.

Grants of up to £3,000 are available to communities in Scotland to develop, deliver and promote their own community-led active travel projects. Projects must make it easier for people to walk and cycle when making short everyday journeys.

Priority will be given to projects that:

Applications are now being accepted for round 2 of the Social Economy Growth Fund.

The Social Economy Growth Fund will enable the third sector/social economy to improve and increase services and support for people experiencing poverty and disadvantage. It will enable social economy organisations to grow their capacity for example by creating new/expanding existing services and employing additional staff.