Rural services

Do you know a small or medium-sized business in Scotland that deserves special recognition?

​The Scottish Rural Awards 2020 are now open for entries and nominations in a number of categories including a new category: Best Countryside Digital Innovator. The winner of this category will be crowned for successfully championing digital projects and products across the agricultural, rural and tourism sectors in Scotland. 

​The award categories are:

This year's £1 million Rescue Boat Grant Fund is now open for applications.

This UK Government funding is open to search and rescue teams in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to buy new boats, engines or other equipment.

So far, the £6million scheme has paid for 82 new boats, more than 1,800 items of equipment for rescue operations and in excess of 5,000 items of crew kit to keep volunteers safe on missions.

The 2019 SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration are currently open for entries.

​These prestigious awards are delivered each year by SURF, a regeneration forum with over 300 cross-sector member organisations across Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Government.

The purpose of the awards is to highlight, celebrate and share the achievements of initiatives that address physical, social and economic challenges in communities across Scotland.

1-7 June is Volunteers' week - which gives us an excuse to dig around for some volunteering opportunities in rural Scotland! You can check out all the activities taking place over the week and find out how to spread the message at https://volunteersweek.org/

Scottish Land and Estates are now seeking nominations for the 2019 round of the Helping it Happen Awards.

Now into their third year, the awards are looking to build on past success and acknowledge the enormous contribution that rural businesses make to the Scottish economy.

Do you want to join people from across Europe on a course on social innovation in rural areas?

Applications are now being accepted to take part in a one-week Advanced Course on Social Innovation in Rural Areas in Zaragoza, Spain. All participants will be exempt from the payment of registration fees.

Advanced Course on Social Innovation In Rural Areas

Please note: timings to be confirmed with organisers

Social innovation has been heralded as a vital part of the European recovery project since the economic crisis in 2008. It is of particular importance to rural areas, especially more disadvantaged rural areas, where multiple problems of depopulation, environmental quality decline and low levels of economic activity have been recurrent. With the trend of rapid urbanisation, the remoter rural areas will continue to be adversely affected.

The Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) has published a Rural Crime Strategy for 2019-22.​

SPARC is a multi-agency partnership involving key organisations collectively working together to tackle rural crime, in particular the increasing threat posed by Serious Organised Crime Groups throughout Scotland. 

​The Rural Crime Strategy sets out seven priorities for SPARC. These are:

Last night, as part of the much anticipated NetworX conference held in Brussels, the European Commissioner Phil Hogan announced the 5 winners of the inaugural Rural Inspiration Awards.

The Scottish Rural Network would like to extend a massive congratulations to all 25 finalists, and the 5 overall winners.

The winners were:

Engagement to support local capacity building

To learn from examples of best practice with regard to innovative techniques of engagement with communities, sectors and different groups e.g. Town/Community Councils

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