Enterprise

The world’s first 100% community-owned distillery, GlenWyvis, welcomed almost 150 new members on the day of the launch. The distillery already has some 2,600 original members who invested in the 2016 share offer and the new share offer was designed to capitalise on continued interest by opening the door to new members.  A total of over £75,000 was raised in the first 24 hours.

David O’Connor, chairman of GlenWyvis Distillery said:

Local Energy Scotland is inviting rural businesses such as farmers, land managers, crofters and rural Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to come forward with innovative project proposals by the 20th September 2017.

The new fund aims to support proposals focusing on low carbon, renewables and whole system projects including, but not limited to, aspects of heat, electricity, transport, and energy management and ownership.

Chris Morris, manager, Local Energy Scotland, said:

Food and drink producers have been awarded a share of almost £3.5 million from the Food Processing, Marketing and Cooperation (FPMC) scheme.

Thirteen businesses are the latest to be awarded grants from the scheme to diversify and expand their operations, including an artisan dairy and a brewing company.

You now get key messages and highlights from a European seminar on rural business innovation.

The European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) seminar on 'Revitalising Rural Areas through Business Innovation' took place on 30 March 2017 in Brussels, Belgium.

The seminar explored how rural businesses – both farm and non-farm – can innovate in ways that "create the conditions for future prosperity and vitality" as articulated in the Cork 2.0 Declaration.

Are you a business owner in rural Scotland? Complete this survey on rural Britain’s digital potential.

The 2017 SURF Awards are now open for entries in five categories.

The SURF Awards are open to all community regeneration projects in Scotland that are currently in place or that have been completed within two years of the closing date.

The awards:

In a new projects brochure from the European Network for Rural Development you can find out how Rural Development Programme funding has been used to support rural business across Europe.

The Supporting Rural Business projects brochure highlights inspiring examples of how to provide advice, training and networking opportunities to rural businesses, as well as targeted investment in the digital and physical infrastructure needed by rural business, both on-farm and in other rural sectors of activity.

The Plunkett Foundation have published two reports highlighting the impact of community owned shops and cooperative pubs in the UK.

The reports show that by the end of 2016, there were 46 cooperative pubs trading in the UK, including six pubs that opened that year. There are 338 community owned shops in the UK, with 31 in Scotland. These shops provide vital services to 1,400 remote rural communities and have created 1,114 paid jobs and 9,605 volunteer positions.

The British Farming Awards are open for nominations in 14 categories. The deadline for entering and making nominations has been extended until 21 July 2017.

These annual awards celebrate the creative thinking, innovation and dedication of Britain's farmers. The awards aim to showcase innovation and adaptability - no matter the size and scale of the business.

So if you know an outstanding Scottish farm, farmer or agricultural student why not nominate them for an award?