Ar Talamh – Ar Coimhearsnachd – Ar n-Àm©
Our Land - Our Communities – Our Time©
Scottish Community Land Newsletter – August 2007
The independent Scottish Community Land Network (SCLN) aims to encourage, support and inspire the community land sector in Scotland through shared experience, networking and promotion of Scottish community land initiatives. – Over 1750 subscribers
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News - Woodland & Forestry – Funding & Support – Events –- Training - Bits & Pieces – A View from the Hills – Jobs - Community Websites - etc.
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Hi All,
This is a very brief holiday issue. I’m supposed to be on holiday heading for Knoydart and Highland Perthshire but I’m still doing this newsletter because my laptop is seized and the screen is blank and I haven’t been able to recover any of my data. One laptop, going cheap!
Good luck with all your communities,
Cheers,
Steve
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Congratulations to Huw Francis recently appointed as Chief Executive for Stòras Uibhist, the South Uist Community-owned estate. Two further positions, Development Manager and Development officer, are currently being advertised for the community (see SCLN Employment Opportunities).
The North Harris Trust has had a further setback for its community-scaled windpower project of 3 turbines. After a unanimous decision for planning consent by CNES, the Scottish Executive has decided to go for a full public inquiry, anticipated to take up to a further year. Their decision was based on SNH’S objection on landscape and scenic grounds. The community overwhelmingly voted by some 90% in support of the project. Already 3 years in planning the community’s hope for support of local housing needs is being drastically threatened by the continued loss of over £150,000 annually by delays in this project. For the fuller story see A View from the Hills
The Pairc Estate Community buyout has made a further step in the right direction to community ownership. The Pairc Trust representing the community announced recently that they are in negotiations with Pairc Crofters, the current land lord. The Pairc community was the first community to register an interest in the Crofting Community Right to Buy under Part 3 of the Land Reform Act. In addition interposed leases on the estate in which a lease to a third party was entered into for the potential windpower project without consulting the tenants (the crofters) is awaiting a decision from the Scottish Land Court and is seen as a test case of national importance. We wish them the best of luck; I don’t think any other community has had to struggle for so long and had to take so many legal avenues to advance community ownership.
Highlands and Islands Enterprises’ (HIE) Enterprising Communities team carried research into volunteering in the HIE area and to establish future trends in demand for and supply of volunteers. The Communities’ Volunteers report can be downloaded here
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The Forestry Commission Scotland will be offering support for woodland creation through Rural Development from 2008. Meantime, as one-year only measure FCS is to tackle the impacts of climate change with woodland creation for the 2007/08 planting season. £3M in grant-aid is available and only those schemes demonstrating the greatest contribution to climate change objectives are likely to be successful. For further details visit FCS Woodland Creation for details and applications. Closing date August 31st 2007
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Development Awareness Fund Mini-Grants 2008/09
IDEAS are again an award partner for the DFID Development Awareness Fund Mini-Grants scheme. The mini-grant scheme may fund projects up to £10,000 per year for 1-3 year projects working in the formal sector, lifelong learning or community groups which are committed to raising awareness of global interdependence, the need to reduce poverty and the roles individuals can play by making informed choices.
This year sees additional support to the fund with DfID increasing the overall UK funding for the next 3 mini-grant rounds.
IDEAS are planning two free information sessions to promote the scheme and help interested organisations to prepare their applications. These will take place in September in North and Central Scotland.
The deadline for receiving completed applications is 5pm on Wednesday 31 October 2007. Completed applications to be sent to Angela Higgins, IDEAS, Princes House, 5 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh, EH2 4RG. For more information on the workshops, the fund or a copy of the guidelines for the fund please contact Angela on 0131 656 0453 or email ideas@ideas-forum.org.uk. IDEAS website www.ideas-forum.org.uk. Or visit DfID’s website www.dfid.gov.uk/funding/dafminigrants.asp.
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Development Manager and Development Officer – Stòras Uibhist
Download further info or applications from Jean or Tel 01878 700
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Tiorgha Mhor Hill Race – North Harris Trust
A regular event in the Hill Race Calendar and Guided walks for all abilities
Saturday 11th August – Amhuinnsuidhe, North Harris – Contact Mary
20th Wooplaw Anniversary Celebration – Wooplaw Community Woodland
Come and
celebrate 20 years of community work at Wooplaw, the first community woodland
in the UK
Sunday August 26th – Nr Galashiels, Borders
Inspiring Ambition – The Institute of Fundraising
29 October - 31 October - Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow
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Development Awareness Fund - Department for International Development
Wednesday 29 August, 2pm - Abercrombie House, East Kilbride
Global Climate Change and the Sustainable Revolution – UNITAR & CIFAL Findhorn
18th – 20th September - Findhorn Ecovillage, Forres
Legacy Fundraising Made Easy with Richard Radcliffe - Institute of Fundraising Scotland 18th September – Glasgow
National Networking Event - Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens
Friday 28th September - SNH Offices, Battleby, Perth.
Contact Naomi or tel 0131 623 7058
The Vital Spark 2007- A major International Event on Heritage Interpretation
30th September - 3rd October - Aviemore
Discounted places available for community-based individuals contact Ian at CLU
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The Centre for Human Ecology is an independent, engaged think-tank. They work with people at the sharp end of ecological and social action to effect practical change and develop new thinking that influences local, national and international policy and practice for ecological sustainability and social justice. Check out their website for a range courses on sustainable ecology, social justice and human spirituality in the most holistic view of human interaction with the world.
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Sadly the North Harris Trust has had a further setback in its attempt to push forward a community-scaled windpower project of 3 turbines that has already been in the planning for 3 years. Having recently received planning consent from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar in March, the Scottish Executive has decided in its wisdom to make the community project the subject of a public local inquiry. It is anticipated to take up to a year. This decision seems to have largely come from SNH’s objection lodged during the planning hearing based on landscape and scenic impact grounds (you should go to SNH’s new HQ in Inverness if you want to see something that has a dramatic landscape and scenic impact yet derives no social or economic benefit of national importance!). They seem not to differentiate between a small-scaled community project that would give North Harris a zero carbon impact and allow community regeneration of one of the worst demographically declining areas in Britain; and a 250 wind turbine industrial farm benefiting only shareholders and not wanted by the host community. This decision reeks of the three and a half year long public inquiry for the Lingerbay quarry that Harris suffered some 10 years earlier. After the extensive hearing, the reporter decided in favour of the quarry only to see the Scottish Executive overturn the reporter’s decision. Harris after all these years since the Lingerbay decision has seen no significant developments with employment prospects. Harris continues to bleed its youth, its enterprise and its enthusiasm to the benefit of the rest of the world while SNH and SEERAD fiddle.
It would seem that Harris is only fit for preserving in aspic. While we have no developments, we certainly have plenty of designations; SSSI, Natura 2000 SPA and SAC, and NSA that all recognize our excellent stewardship of the land for the past 5 millennia. While the rest of Europe blithely continues to put its cherished landscape under industry, industrial farming, thriving urban and suburban communities vigorously pursuing commerce, we are to suffer these awards for our stewardship with no compensation or benefit to support and reinvigorate our withering communities.
No significant community renewable energy project has happened anywhere in Scotland since Gigha’s outstanding success. Instead of getting closer to their aims to sustain fragile communities, up to 6 significant community projects find that their goals are getting further from their grasps with additional hurdles being constantly added. Why are so many NGOs, NDPBs and the Scottish Executive trying to prevent communities helping themselves?
I urge the Scottish Executive and SNH to go and see, in person, how Gigha’s modest 3 turbine windcroft has transformed their island’s demographics with New homes, New families, New jobs, and lots of children; isn’t that what they want to see?
Agree, disagree or have your opinion, contact steve@communityland.org.uk
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Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens
For relative links, resources or community groups see the respective links at SCLN Links, SCLN Resources or SCLN Community Groups
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Current circulation – over 1750
Thanks to contributions Jean Rankin, Diane Campbell, Neil Gerrard, Ian lever, Agnes Rennie,
Naomi Knights, Angela Higgins
This newsletter has been generously funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Lomond & Rural Stirling Leader+ and North Highland Leader+
For a free monthly subscription to the newsletter: join@communityland.org.uk
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The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are for general information and do not represent those of the Community Land Unit, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Lomond & Rural Stirling Leader+ or North Highland Leader+
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