Sport and leisure

The Tesco Bags of Help Fund is now open for applications.

Community groups, schools, charities, local authorities and not for profits can all apply for grants of up to £2,000 for projects that bring benefits to communities. This includes:

The Scottish Government has started early engagement on the development of Scotland's fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4).

The National Planning Framework is a long term plan for development and investment across Scotland.

An upcoming Scottish Rural Action conference will kick start a 'rural movement' to make rural Scotland's voice heard.

Representatives from rural Scotland's communities, businesses and organisations are invited to attend the free event taking place from 26 to 27 February at New Lanark Visitor Centre, the renowned world heritage site.

To celebrate Scotland's Year of Coasts and Waters 2020, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has launched a new community fund.

The £150,000 Plunge In! The Coasts and Waters Community Fund offers a range of grants from small pots for schools and youth groups to awards of up to £10,000.

The fund is currently open for applications for community-led ideas that will engage and connect more people with our seas, coasts, lochs, rivers, streams and wetlands, as well as their unique wildlife.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently launched the Scottish Charity Awards 2020, encouraging organisations from across the country to apply. 

The annual awards are organised by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and celebrate the fantastic work that charities and community groups do every day to help those in need and raise awareness of important causes. 

A further 30 events have been announced as part of the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020.

The Themed Year will see a wide variety of events take place right across the country -- from coastal-inspired opera to a seaweed festival!

Events supported through round two of the Year of Coasts and Waters event fund include:

Scottish Field magazine have recently announced that the favourite farmer comedian will take to the stage to host their Scottish Rural Awards 2020.

The black-tie awards ceremony will be held on 2^nd April 2020 at the Glasgow Hilton.

This year's Stranraer Oyster Festival has been hailed a 'phenomenal success' by organisers.

Attendance at the event was up 25% on last year, with around 17-18,000 people thought to have attended the three-day event.

The community-run festival is organised by the Stranraer Development Trust and takes place next to Loch Ryan, which contains Scotland's last remaining wild, native oyster fishery.

A project to redevelop the Johnston School in Kirkcudbright is now getting underway, following the formal appointment of a contractor.

The exciting project will convert the empty and unused site into a multi-use building, including the conversion of the former gymnasium into a Dark Skies Visitor Centre.

To celebrate funders and project leaders met at the site this week, with Galloway Glens Administrator Jude Crooks boldly donning a spacesuit on loan from the Glasgow Science Centre.