Youth

Cairngorms Nature Festival

TV’s Nick Baker is our special guest, you can join him on a special family event or hear him talk about his life as a wildlife presenter. At Glenmuick Estate you can learn how highland estates work with nature, or if cooking is your thing you can join a foraging walk to find edible delights from Scotland’s Natural Larder.

In Tomintoul you can join the wildcat project officer on a walk to look for signs of the elusive Scottish Wildcat or experience an off road landrover tour to catch a glimpse of lekking black grouse or breeding waders.

Rural Manifesto Event - Friockheim, Angus

Rural Manifesto 2016

The Scottish Rural Parliament are holding a series of Rural Manifesto events across Scotland. The Manifesto will be a statement of the collective ambitions of Rural Scotland and the actions that are needed to ensure these ambitions are realised for all of our rural communities. For more information access the Scottish Rural Parliament website.

The Scottish Seabird Centre has launched a new Junior Tour Guide scheme for visiting school groups.

The conservation and education charity in North Berwick has worked in partnership with Law Primary School and Illuminate UK to develop the new educational experience.

Kelvin Valley & Falkirk LEADER are holding a series of drop-in sessions this spring.

These sessions are drop-in events at a local level across the Kelvin Valley & Falkirk area and LEADER will be joined by local funders at each event.

Attendees will be able to discuss project ideas with LEADER staff and LAG members and also with the other funding organisations. They will also be able to find out information on how to apply and our forthcoming deadlines.

The dates and venues for the drop-in sessions are:

The new West Lothian LEADER programme will officially launch on 17 March at SRUC Oatridge College Campus.

The West Lothian LEADER programme will see £2.17 million invested in community-led local development in rural West Lothian.

Talented trainees were recognised at the recent Lantra Scotland's Land-based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards ceremony.

These annual awards celebrate trainees, Modern Apprentices, students and pupils, teachers, tutors, training providers and schools involved in the rural sectors.

West Lothian LEADER launch

West Lothian has been awarded £2.17 million for community led local development in rural West Lothian.

Administered under the Scottish Rural Development Programme Leader is a European grant scheme that supports innovative and original projects that are driven and run by local communities, businesses and organisations. It also focuses on co-operation between groups both local and national and even cross Europe.

Nineteen Scottish Young Farmers will be travelling to New Zealand later this year to learn more about the country's farming operations.

The visit will give the young farmers an opportunity to find out how New Zealand farms without subsidies and continues to record the youngest age of farmer.

The trip has been organised by the Scottish Association of Young Farmers' Clubs (SAYFC) Agri and Rural Affairs Committee and will focus on the theme of succession.  

Agri & Rural Chair Sarah Allison said:

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead has announced that more opportunities for the next generation of farmers are to be created using public land.

Mr Lochhead last year set up an expert group to maximise the use of publically owned land to help farmers of the future to start their careers.

A new Modern Apprenticeship in Rural Skills, developed by the sector skills council Lantra, is now available.

A Modern Apprentice (MA) is an employee who is paid a wage and learns from the skills and experience of people around them whilst gaining skills and working towards a nationally recognised Scottish Vocational Qualification.

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