Community development

Community groups and charities in Scotmid's North region can now apply to be considered for a Community Connect Award.

Community Connect enables Scotmid members to give back to their communities. Three Good Cause Groups from Scotmid’s North Member Region will receive a financial award of up to £15,000 following a vote by Scotmid members.

Volunteers are wanted for the Contin Community Fund Panel in Ross-shire.

The panel will be a group of local volunteers which will meet twice each year to make decisions on the applications to the community fund linked to the EDF-ER Corriemoillie Wind Farm. 

The Scottish Charity Awards 2017 are now open for nominations and entries in eight categories.

The awards are organised by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and are a chance to celebrate a special person, organisation or project. 

The award categories are:

Skiffs, trails and augmented reality. You might ask what these three things have in common.  Well, they were among the many ideas discussed at the LEADER Cooperation Exchange event on 15 and 16 March in Ayrshire. 

The first funding round for the Scottish Government's Aspiring Communities Fund closes on 7 April 2017. 

The new Fund is intended to enable community bodies and third sector organisations in Scotland's most deprived communities to develop and deliver long-term local solutions that address local priorities and needs and build on the assets of local communities.

A free two day training workshop run by Scottish Rural Action, the organisation behind the Scottish Rural Parliament, seeks to train and support new and existing rural campaigners.

The training is supported by the Voluntary Action Fund and led by the Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK), which has 12 years’ experience of training and supporting campaigners across the UK and Europe.

At the end of the two days participants will gain an understanding of:

If you'd like to train as a forestry volunteer, Forestry Commission Scotland's Voluntary Community Champion (VCC) Programme could be for you.

Delivered in partnership with CEMVO Scotland (Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations), this one-year initiative trains people from minority groups to lead events and activities in woodlands and forests.

Community researchers, University of Stirling researchers and Age Scotland want to hear your views on quality of life in later years.

They are currently carrying out online surveys to gather the views of people in Scotland who are aged over 50 years.

Funding from Angus LEADER has helped to enhance rural advice services in the area.

The Angus Financial Inclusion Partnership (AFIP) received an award of £4,000 from the Angus LEADER Programme, via Angus Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), to help carry out a rural advice feasibility study. The Partnership has been looking at ways to break down financial barriers faced by rural residents when accessing services.