Community development

A unique five-year projects is helping to increase volunteering in Scotland's National Parks.

The Mountains and the People Project launched in the summer of 2015, with the vision of involving the people of Scotland and beyond in the enhancement and protection of the wild and special qualities of the mountains within the country's two National Parks.

Ten UK towns, including Whitburn in West Lothian, have been selected for a new domestic ‘twinning’ project undertaken by the Carnegie UK Trust.

The trial is designed to reinvigorate local economies by pairing towns with others within the UK facing similar challenges. The idea is that over the coming 18 months the towns will build their connections, receive support, and devise a twinning action plan to access funding to kick-start new commercial, voluntary and social enterprise activities - building positive growth for both.

DG Unlimited, an organisation that promotes and supports the creative industries across Dumfries and Galloway has just launched it’s new ‘Get Involved, Get Inspired’ fund.

Aimed at supporting a wide range of cultural and creative events and activities in local communities, the £8,000 fund can make awards of up to £500 to support events and activities that offer greater opportunities for participation in high quality arts experiences for people who would not normally get involved.

David McDonald, Arts Development Director said:

After a successful Local Action Group (LAG) assessment meeting on Tuesday 24 January when eight further project applications were approved, Scottish Borders LEADER have now committed to funding totalling £705,000. 

So far Scottish Borders LEADER LAG have awarded grants to 15 projects:

The Lanarkshire LEADER programme has made its first funding award.

The programme opened in late 2016 and now the LEADER Local Action Group have made a grant offer of £18,220 to Lanark-based award-winning social enterprise CCI Scotland.

With the funding, CCI will carry out feasibility and business planning on a number of potential social enterprise ventures.

The European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) has produced a publication about migrant and refugee integration projects across Europe.

A new five-year project will help develop rural communities that are older-people-friendly.

The Rural Wisdom project is a partnership between Outside the Box, Volunteering Matters Cymru and National Development Team for inclusion. The project has recently been awarded funding of £975,370 from the Big Lottery Fund.

First Minister Nicola Sturgoen has announced £29 million of funding for community and third sector projects that try new ways to tackle poverty and improve people's lives.

The funding over the next two years supports the Fairer Scotland Action Plan, which was published in October 2016.

WAT IF? (Woolfords, Auchengray and Tarbrax Improvement Foundation) is launching four new funds which could provide up to £19,000 directly to the local community each year.

The development trust, established in 2012 by residents to manage community benefit funds from nearby windfarm developments, has focused their new programme of grant schemes on addressing access to services and facilities such as transport and education.