Enterprise

Fourteen projects across Argyll and the Islands have secured a share of almost £612,000 of LEADER funding - awarded to community-led projects that support economic growth and development across the area.

The Prince's Countryside Fund is currently open for applications until 13 April 2017.

This fund provides grants of up to £50,000 to innovative projects that will provide a lasting legacy to the individuals and communities they seek to benefit. Through the grant programme, more than £1 million each year goes to projects across the UK.

The grant programme currently aims to tackle the following key rural issues:

Women's Enterprise Scotland are seeking your views on the current business support environment in Scotland through a short online survey.

The Scottish Government has commissioned Women's Enterprise Scotland to conduct a small piece of research into enterprise support for women in Scotland; what is currently working, what isn’t and what improvements you would like to see.

A forestry apprentice from Dumfries took home the top prize at Lantra Scotland's fifteenth Land-based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards.

GrowBiz provides a community-based enterprise support service in rural Perthshire.

Until recently, it worked mainly in the Eastern and Highland areas. Now, in partnership with Business Gateway, Perthshire Chamber and PKAVS, and with funding support from Rural Perth & Kinross LEADER, the service is available across Perthshire.

The Consumer Futures Unit (CFU) of Citizens Advice Scotland held a 'Rural Futures' conference on 1 February 2017.

The event took place in Edinburgh. A keynote speech was delivered by the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity Fergus Ewing, in which he addressed the main conference themes of fuel poverty, water supply and postal services in rural parts of Scotland.

In a follow up Q&A, delegates posed questions on a variety of subjects including wind farms and digital connectivity.

More than 90 people attended the Lothians Monitor Farm launch meeting on Thursday 9 February 2017.

It is one of nine new Monitor Farms being established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by QMS and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.

The Scottish Monitor Farms programme is funded by £1.25million secured from the Scottish Government and European Union’s Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund.