Health and wellbeing

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) wants to hear your views on nine big issues in the Park including flood management, housing and economic development.

The Big Park Big Questions consultation has been launched to gather views on the key issues to be addressed in the next National Park Partnership Plan 2017-2022 - a management plan for the Park which sets out a vision and overarching strategy for managing the area.

Almost £550,000 of LEADER funding has been awarded to projects following the first round of decision making meetings with the Dumfries & Galloway LEADER Local Action Group.

Funding of £549,901.35 has been awarded to projects with a total value of £1,250,258.26. Supported projects were varied and include both The Whithorn Trust’s Iron Age Roundhouse which explores the history and heritage of the region, as well as farm diversification funding to provide an alpaca trekking experience!

This year's SURF Awards are open for entries in five categories.

These annual awards are open to any regeneration project in Scotland that is currently in operation or has been completed within two years of the September 2016 closing date.

The award categories are:

Timing is key to saving a life, that’s the advice from the British Heart Foundation and Scottish Ambulance Service.  

Enjoy a taste of Scotland’s seasonal larder by joining in with the newest local food project from the Forth Environment Link (FEL). 

The Stirling Food Hub aims to bring local food to local plates by connecting more of us with locally produced food. Later this year Striling Food Hub plan to host Stirling’s Food Assembly which will allow people to click on-line and collect a selection of local seasonal treats from the Cycle Hub.

Becky Pankhurst, the FEL Food Co-ordinator said:

The community group behind an active playpark in Oban and an employee of Callander Youth Project Trust are among the winners of the Scottish Charity Awards 2016.

The winners of the awards were announced at a glittering awards ceremony at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh on 9 July.

Shulah Allan, Convener of Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), which organises the awards, said:

An East Lothian farmer will be supporting the rural charity RSABI later this month by driving a tractor around the North Coast 500 route in just three days.

John Meikle from Hoprig Mains will be tackling the 500-mile journey around the north coast of Scotland between 13 and 15 June, hoping to complete the route at the grounds of Inverness Castle on the afternoon of 15 June.

Scotland is being represented at this week's Swedish Rural Parliament, one of the largest gatherings for rural development in Europe.

Bill Sturrock, a member of Angus LEADER Local Action Group, and Sarah Hyslop, Ayrshire LEADER Programme Manager, are being supported by the Scottish Rural Network to attend the event.

The Swedish Rural Parliament event takes place in Visby, Gotland from 27 to 29 May. The theme for 2016 is 'Towards a balanced country'.

The Scottish Rural Parliament are holding events across the country to help them create a Manifesto for Rural Scotland.

Ann-Marie Meikle and Don Morrison from the Scottish Rural Network Support Unit attended events in Inverclyde on 4 May and Newtonmore on 17 May to find out more.

In this article, Anne Connor - Chief Executive of Out of the Box - tells us about their work to find out how rural communities can work well for older people.