Sport and leisure

Village halls and community hubs are often the heart of rural and island communities. They are places for people to gather, learn, access services and have fun. Making sure they are well run and maintained is an important but not always easy role, often fulfilled by committed volunteers and workers.

The Scottish Rural and Islands Parliament (SRIP) is an important opportunity for voice of rural and island communities to help reinforce the importance of local democracy and to help shape the emerging Rural Delivery Plan. The theme of this year’s SRIP was Village Halls and Community Spaces.

Priority actions to deepen and strengthen co-operation between the Scottish Government and business have been unveiled.

A new implementation plan details how recommendations from the New Deal for Business Group will be taken forward over the next 18 months to improve policy preparation and delivery and build a wellbeing economy.

Tickets are now on sale for a Farmers’ Choir concert which is set to raise people’s spirits at the start of 2024, as well as raising funds for Scottish agriculture charity RSABI and Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA). 

Communities and organisations are being invited to submit their proposals to become Scotland’s next National Park.

A key commitment in the Bute House Agreement is to designate at least one new National Park in Scotland by 2026, to bring positive benefits for the environment and economy.

Guidance to make the most of the outdoor spaces for early learning and childcare has been published this week. The guidance supports practitioners to provide high quality outdoor play experiences.

Scotland’s first ever National Islands Plan (NIP) was published in 2019 and it is now going through its first review.