Fifth Scottish Rural and Islands Parliament announced

Scottish Rural Action (SRA) have announced that this year, the fifth Scottish Rural and Islands Parliament (SRIP) will take place from the 1st to the 3rd of November in Fort William at the Nevis Centre. This year's main theme is 'village halls and community spaces'.
 

Scotland is the only part of the UK that has a Rural Parliament. The SRIP is a grassroots democratic assembly which aims to empower rural communities across Scotland, giving them a stronger voice to initiate change at a local and national level. A member of the European-wide network of Rural Parliaments, SRIP takes place every two years, each time hosted by a different rural community. The programme and event is shaped by a wide range of rural and island organisations.

The last SRIP was held virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time. The online event hosted a democratic assembly of over 600 participants from across Rural Scotland.

Following feedback, the Parliament now has an updated logo to reflect the importance of islands to rural Scotland. Furthermore, they've also launched a new website, where they have worked with Isle Develop to bring this to life.

Do take a look through, register your interest, and watch out for more information as plans for November continue to develop!

The SRA received £133,941 of funding in 2022 from Scottish Government through Rural Communities and the Scottish Rural Network (SRN) to develop a Scottish Rural Movement to ensure the that voices of rural and island Scotland inform policy development and delivery.

The Rural Parliament is a key component of this work, bringing together hundreds of people from across rural and island Scotland to mobilise their voice, debate issues that matter most to us, and connect with decision-makers and those in government.

Secretariat and coordination for the SRIP will be provided by SRA and the Scottish Islands Federation. More details will be made available as the event programme is further developed.