Funding

Small scale producers are set to have access to a range of new support designed to create more localised supply chains and cut food miles.

The Scottish Government’s Small Producers Pilot Fund aims to help individual small producers increase their resilience and enhance their contribution to the rural economy.

Continuing to build relationships with Arctic neighbours will help Scotland pursue shared ambitions and address common challenges, External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson has said.

Reviews of Scottish Government Community Led Local Development (CLLD) funding for financial year 2021-22 have been published.

Local communities across Scotland will be supported to take climate action in their areas through a new nationwide network of Climate Action Hubs.

This follows the success of two pathfinder hubs in the North East and the Highlands, which helped to widen participation in climate action and have supported a range of projects, including on local energy and flood mitigation.

Crofters across Scotland will be able to apply for larger sums of money to upgrade their housing under the Croft House Grant.

To help ensure more crofters and their families can benefit, the government is increasing the grant rate for home improvements from 40% to 60% of the total project cost – with a maximum grant of £38,000.

This month the Scottish Government published its National Strategy for Economic Transformation. This sets out the priorities for Scotland’s economy as well as the actions needed to maximise the opportunities of the next decade to achieve our vision of a wellbeing economy.

Support for community groups bringing people and communities together to tackle isolation has been launched today.

The £3.8 million Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund is part of a new plan, Recovering our Connections, that aims to reduce inequality by bringing people from communities across Scotland together.

The award-winning Be Your Best Self personal development programme for Women in Agriculture is an integral part of the Scottish Government’s vision to make Scottish agriculture a fairer, more inclusive industry, where farm succession is not determined by gender, training is accessible to everyone, and more women take on senior roles in agricultural organisations.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon officially opened a new training college in Glasgow to mark the beginning of Scottish Apprenticeship Week this week.

City Building’s new state-of-the-art training college in Springburn will house up to 250 apprentices across a range of disciplines, providing hands-on training opportunities in plumbing, furniture making, decorating and joinery.

Paths For All have recently launched the Ian Findlay Path Fund which supports the improvement of local paths within and between communities, making it easier for people to choose active travel and public transport for everyday journeys.