Farming

Applications are currently open for this year's Scottish Enterprise Rural Leadership programme.

The programme is aimed at business managers and employees from rural businesses who want to develop their leadership skills and grow their business.

The course will include:

The Scottish Crofting Federation have launched their Access to Crofting Toolkit this week.

The toolkit is a learning space to support crofters, new entrants, successors and aspiring crofters.

The cornerstone to the toolkit is a certified training course developed by the Scottish Crofting Federation that covers three core themes:

The Scottish Association of Young Farmers (SAYFC) is offering young people in rural Scotland discounted practical training including forklift, chainsaw, welding and pest control management training.

As part of their Cultivating Futures agricultural and business training programme, SAYFC has formed a new partnership with Borders Machinery Ring, Tayforth Machinery Ring and Highland Machinery Ring to offer the training at a discounted rate.

Kelvin Valley & Falkirk LEADER are seeking new members for their Local Action Group.

Kelvin Valley & Falkirk LEADER are looking for people with experience of economic and/or community development in rural parts of East Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk to join the Local Action Group (LAG).

Scottish Rural Action are recruiting volunteers to campaign on rural issues and facilitate workshops at the 2016 Scottish Rural Parliament event.

The Scottish Rural Parliament brings together people from communities and decision-makers from public bodies, NGOs and private bodies, with the aim of improving rural policy and finding better ways of providing services.

The installation of an artificial bowling green and a community hall refurbishment are the first two projects to benefit from funding from the Orkney LEADER 2014-2020 Programme.

The Kirkwall Bowling Club will install an artificial outdoor bowling green which will allow assurances of play irrespective of the weather, extending the playing season and increasing the opportunity for members and non-members to use the facility.

Book your place at the free 'Connecting communities in rural Lanarkshire' conference to find out more about Lanarkshire LEADER.

The new £4 million Lanarkshire LEADER programme will be launched at the event in Carluke on 1 September.

It will also be a chance to find out more about the priorities and objectives against which applications for funding will be assessed.

There will be three interactive workshops and a chance learn about successful projects from the previous programme.