Scottish Community Land Newsletter - October 2006
The 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.
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News - Woodland & Forestry - Renewable Energy – Funding & Support – Events –- Training - Bits & Pieces – A View from the Hills – Featured CLI – Jobs - Links - etc.
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Hi all,
I feel I’ve just been through a class reunion, a luxury world cruise and rehab, all wrapped into a wonderful whole. I’ve had a magnificent week connecting with friends, acquaintances and fellow campaigners in 2 milestone conferences, the Community Land Initiatives - The Way Forward (see A View from the Hills), followed by the Scottish Crofting Foundation’s Annual Conference (see News) hosted by Shetland. The connection amongst the participants was immediate, a sense of where you’ve been, what you’re doing and where you’re going didn’t need to be shared; it was there in an immediate sense of wondrous serendipity. The Communities that we share, both of locality and of interest, are real, perhaps much more relevant to most of us than the larger world out there, with all of its disconnectedness, remoteness and our inability to change it. But change it we must and both of these conferences showed the natural leadership, ability and passion of ordinary members to fight for the whole community, people living otherwise ordinary lives, with jobs and families showing huge commitment of time, effort and enthusiasm. Congratulations to them all and continue the good fight!
Cheers,
Steve
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Congratulations to the Gesto community for pursuing the community right to buy for a venture to preserve a local geriatric care in their community. The hospital originally gifted to the people of Skye, was closed as part of a NHS rationalisation of local geriatric care which saw an overall reduction of 5 beds. This, the first of its kind proposal is to be led by the community group, Gesto of Skye Community Care Company. Its intention is to buy in-care services and sell space in the hospital to social services to provide revenue. We look forward to following this national first, the community providing respite care to the community.
The Isle of Kerrera Residents Association is close to agreeing on the purchase of
The former school, mothballed since 1997, from the Argyll and Bute Council. Using assistance from Nadir Trust, WHELK Leader+ and the BLF Investing in Ideas, business and development plans have drawn up, with assistance for purchase hoping to come from Growing Community Assets.
The Galson Trust (Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn) has just received a £10,000 grant from the John Muir Trust to assist with the imminent purchase of the estate. The community now has all funding in place for the £600,000 purchase but will continue to fundraise for future development and contingency.
The continuing policy debate over how best to deliver affordable housing in the Cairngorms National Park area highlights some of the complexities in delivering a solution that is good for both communities and the local economy. For the full story visit The Cairngorms: delivering affordable housing in a pressurised area from the Rural Community Gateway.
The chequered history of Raasay and Raasay House in particular might be taking a step forward with a move towards true community ownership. The Raasay House Trust formed in 1999 has just been awarded £2.3million from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards its restoration, having previously secured a £500,000 award from Historic Scotland. The trust's directors are to restructure the trust to make it more democratic and accountable to the Raasay community by restricting voting membership to Raasay residents and having a majority of community directors on the board. See the full story from HIE.
The last of the CLU community training courses is to be the Community Housing – “Building for the Future” hosted by Gigha on the 2nd & 3rd November. Housing has easily got to be the most pressing issue for all rural communities. Don’t miss it - only limited places. Please contact Lorna or tel 01583 505390; or download the Agenda and Registration.
The Assynt Crofters Trust (ACT) has just produced its latest newsletter. It makes interesting reading and gives some insight on how a grass-roots community organisation adjusts to the changes presented by the community land support system but still remains true to what is held important to the community. Download the ACT Newsletter.
The Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust (IGHT) has just issued a press release showing a population increase of 50% in the just four and a half years since the community buyout from 99 to 151 at present. This reverses a continuous population decline of over 300 years. They are anticipating a population of 200 by 2011. They have got to be admired for fast-forwarding the agenda. Download the full press release from IGHT.
The Scottish Crofting Foundation’s (SCF) outstanding Annual Conference held for the first time in Shetland. The SCF currently has its highest profile ever. It is advancing this situation by progressing a long-term vision for the crofting community to the benefit of all the Highlands and Islands. It has become more proactive pushing the agenda beyond the mind-numbing reactive policies set by our politicians and quangoteers. With this in mind a number of visionary and inspirational speakers were invited guests of the SCF, notably Colin Tudge and Alastair MacIntosh. Alastair needs no introduction as a well-known Scottish land campaigner, human ecologist and author of “Soil and Soul” who believes in real people in real places (i.e. crofting communities). Colin Tudge has written “So Shall We Reap” on the future of agriculture, in which he challenges the current science and technology paradigm and outlines a sustainable way of feeding the population of the world, expected to stabilise at ten billion people by the middle of the 21st Century. Basically if we don’t return to an enlightened agriculture we are doomed to generations of starvation. In enlightened agriculture he is talking about crofting (and many other traditional systems) yet amazingly he never actually mentions crofting and was indeed unfamiliar with the crofting agricultural system until his introduction to it at the conference. An absolute must read for all crofters and anyone interested where their children’s food will be coming from.
Ultimately this conference was about Shetland, and SCF Chairman and local crofter Norman Leask and his wife Evelyn proved to be exemplar hosts, at was once showing you with pride Shetland at its best; equally humbly offering you a bounty of hospitality. Shetland seems to be still actively crofting throughout, with well-maintained and fully-utilised crofts. This was shown no better than on Mary and Tommy Isbister’s croft. Not only did this well-managed croft feature every species of animal as a Shetland type, cattle, sheep, ponies, chickens and ducks, equally there was several sorts of local potatoes, a handful of oat types and bere. As we ambled down to the shore, there were two traditional boats hand-built by Tommy. Further wandering up the croft he demonstrated his rebuilt fully-functioning water-driven stone grinding mill. Built in the Norse style of a horizontal waterwheel, this was no tourist model but a fully functioning mill on which he actually ground his corn. We finally returned to his byre to partake in Mary’s munificence with home baking and tea, looking over all this years’ bountiful harvest and a working turn-of-the-century threshing mill restored by Tommy. For a finale he then started to play the fiddle, very accomplished and of course self-taught, as he really didn’t have time to go to the pub. As we left enthusing over such a model for all of crofting someone mentioned that Tommy had actually made the fiddle himself. What a renaissance couple, at home in Shetland most rural. What inspiration to all crofters to what can actually be achieved even with the natural disadvantages of crofting. They perceived no disadvantages and took advantage of what the land had to offer. Shetland’s advantages are often put down to oil money, which perhaps lubricates the way, but there was something much more going on in Shetland. There is an all-pervading can-do attitude which I wish I could bottle and bring back to the west coast. Thank you to Norman, Evelyn, Mary, Tommy and all the Shetlanders to what is my most memorable crofting conference ever.
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Strathfillan Community Development Trust has nearly achieved raising over £10,000 from the community to purchase 85 hectares of forestry from the Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS). Managed by the community under a lease from the FCS, this was previously a burnt- out plantation that has been replanted as native woodland. The community moved the agenda on by proposing a buyout with a 5 year woodland management plan. It is hoped that the buyout will be achieved in time for next years 10th anniversary of the trust’s celebration.
The highlight of community-owned woodland’s year is shortly approaching with the Community Woodlands Association’s Annual Conference, Growing Confidence – Building a Future to be held at Strontian on the 11th & 12th of November with a theme of Working in Partnership. Contact Micheala or tel 01700 811 030 or download the Agenda.
Three pilot biomass projects are to be undertaken this spring in the Western Isles supported jointly by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and Forestry Commission Scotland under the supervision of Western Isles Woodlands Officer, Steven Liddle. The North Harris Trust is undertaking the 5 hectare pilot with three local crofters on their own crofts, the first of its kind joint project. The Trust will be responsible for the project over its anticipated life of 15 years. If the project shows any profit the proceeds will be split between the crofters and the Trust. The other 2 pilots are to be undertaken by a crofter in Benbecula and the Laxy Common Grazings in Lewis. We look forward with high hopes to proving this as another diverse use of land in the Western Isles.
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The Tiree Trust (Urras Thiriodh) has recently been formed to allow more flexible business opportunities. It will, like all community trusts, be owned and run by the community. It will take over the remit of the Tiree Development Partnership. It recent success includes the planning at advanced stages of I MW renewable project. The project will soon have its full planning application submitted, having previously completed the various environmental impact studies. More significantly it has managed to secure an order for a turbine from Vestas, no small feat in this burgeoning turbine market. Download a copy of the latest Tiree Trust newsletter
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Potential Volunteer Support for Projects
The Senior Executive Programme (SEP), works with retired and semi-retired managers and executives on a voluntary basis to provide professional advice and support to organisations in need of help.
The Programme, funded by the Scottish Executive and managed by Scottish Business in the Community (SBC), operates across Scotland and has over 225 members. Volunteers help community and voluntary organizations by providing their business skills and expertise.
National SEP manager Bill Ferguson is keen to promote the value of SEP “Many organisations do not have the resources to pay for professional advice and support, so the SEP members can add real value through their involvement. Over the past 5 years SEP members have contributed over 100.000 volunteer hours of support to community projects across Scotland. When we did an evaluation in 2005 on the value of our work we were delighted at the very positive feedback. We are not always able to help all the projects which ask for support but our 12 area volunteer co-coordinators work hard to try and resource most of the requests.
Latest SEP member Sara Hesp, who has been practicing as a chartered surveyor for over 15 years, started working on a part-time basis to spend more time with her family, commented: "I found that I had spare time which I wished to put to good use. I became a member of SEP and immediately became involved as Chairperson of a YMCA Scotland project. I think it is a great project to be involved in and am pleased to put my professional skills to good use."
Peter Crory, National Secretary of YMCA Scotland, added: "YMCA Scotland brought in Sara as chairperson of a working group set up to consider all options for radical re-structuring of a major charity project in the south of Scotland.
“Our hopes for the working group are that they will be able to bring external objective and skilled expertise to bear on a complex organisational problem helping the YMCA organisation to understand the best way forward for this project. Having Sara as chairperson of the working group brings us skills of property management but also a clear thinker with no previous knowledge of the charity allowing us to be driven by an objective and businesslike approach."
SEP volunteers’ professional support allows community organisations to become more effective. Members spend their time doing worthwhile work, which allows them to use their skills and give something back to the community. More information can be obtained from Bill Ferguson at or at the SEP website.
The Scottish Community Foundation funds small community-based organisations with a project idea that will be of benefit to their local community for funding of up to £5,000. To be eligible groups need to have an annual income of less that £250,000 and the grant will need to be spent within 12 months.
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The Institute of Fundraising Scottish Conference
31st Oct - 2nd November Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow
Free places. For more info
Developing a Sustainable Biomass Industry - Sharing Good Practice 2nd November - Scottish Natural Heritage & Forestry Commission Scotland For details see SNH
Sharing Good Practice – SNH. Four Sharing Good Practice workshops on integrating public access with land management on farms, estates and crofts have been arranged in November and December. These events will explore case studies and collate further examples of practical access management which will be developed for publication with assistance from the NFUS and SRPBA access officers. Further information is available from the SNH website. Venues will include Ayr, Forfar and Aberdeenshire, with the Western Isles. Contact Eleanor MacGregor for further details.
Growing Confidence - Building a Future - Community Woodlands Conference
Saturday 11th & 12th - November Sunart Centre, Strontian, The theme is Working in Partnership which will demonstrate the value in developing networks and partnerships with agencies, community groups and local authorities and will feature affordable housing, building in timber and Forest Schools. Contact Micheala or tel 01700 811 030
SCAN Conference. Land Management and Outdoor Access - 17 November - Birnam.
This conference will focus on how access staff, agricultural advisors and land managers can work more closely together on access management, and will look at practical case studies demonstrating how land management and public access can be successfully integrated, and how Land Management Contracts, now and in the future, can provide essential support to bring this about. More information and registration forms will be available on the SCAN or contact Patricia Schell for further details.
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IGNITE – Course in Development of Wood Energy
Woodland Management - 19th Oct - Dornoch/Golspie
Woodfuel Technology - 26th Oct - Cairngorm Hotel Aviemore
Assessment - 26th Oct - Cairngorm Hotel Aviemore
A modular course to deal with the rapidly increasing demand for woodfuel in Scotland. Full details on see Rural Development Initiatives
Wind Turbine Construction - 23rd- 28th - October Edinburgh
Four Winds is running a 6-day course to learn about small wind turbine design and construction. Suitable for all backgrounds, age groups and nationalities. Cost £350.
Power to the People: Micro-Renewables Workshop - Sustainable Communities Initiatives - 21st Oct 2006 at Earthship Fife
1-day
introductory workshop on micro-renewables. Tour of the UK first Earthship and renewable energy systems; learn
about small scale wind or small scale hydro technology; explore energy use;
find out about grants, suppliers & DIY; enjoy the ambience of an Earthship
& its beautiful surroundings.10am-3:30pm £15 (£10 concession).
For bookings or information contact Esmond
or tel 01592 891 884
Microgeneration / Decentralised Energy Seminar - 25th October 2006 -The Royal Museum, Edinburgh. Scottish Renewables is hosting People Power: Energy in the City which will explore the options that are available to individuals and communities who want to do their own thing and highlight what options are being considered or delivered by policy makers.
For more information other events visit Scottish Renewables Events.
Writing a Good Funding Application - 26 October 2006 - Inverness
For details and a full listing of SCVO HICCAP Events
Gigha Housing Summit - 2nd & 3rd November - Isle of Gigha
The conference aims to give community land initiatives the opportunity to share experiences and information on challenges in the housing sector. The main question is: How can government and agencies better match the needs of community led housing projects? The conference is open to representatives of community land initiatives involved in housing development programmes. Please contact Lorna or tel 01583 505390; or download the Agenda and Registration.
Want to learn how to run a Community Café? - 10th November - Green Door Café, St Monans, Fife. This one-day course will give participants a thorough and realistic introduction to what is involved in running a Community Café. Contact CWA
Sustainability – Creating the Culture 15th – 16th November - Perth
To share new ideas and debate current best practice in sustainable development (SD) environmental management (EM) and corporate social responsibility (CSR). This year a special theme is being introduced to debate the role of social enterprise and its contribution to create a culture of sustainability.
Social Firms Scotland (SFS) and Scottish Business in the Community (SBC) have come together in Aberdeen from across the private, voluntary and social enterprise sector to deliver a series of 8 workshops in key areas of business and organisational development under Sharing the Knowledge and 13 workshops under Sharing IT Skills. These workshops are free and places will be allotted on a first come, first served basis. Download details for Sharing the Knowledge and Sharing IT.
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Bits and pieces – Ideas from all over
Congratulations to the Highlands and Islands Transport Group (HITRANS) for stating what is blatantly obvious to the rest of us; lower ferry fares would bring lasting social and economic benefits to all of the islands(and indeed to all of society). Ferry fares are akin to an island tax, disadvantaging every aspect of our lives. But why stop at a 30% reduction, which is suggested would bring an additional £22 million and 700 jobs to the islands. Why not go the whole hog and integrate the ferry system into the national road transport structure, free for all and frequent; is that not what belonging to a larger organised and civilised society is all about. Not really so radical and outrageous. I have never objected to my tax money being spent on motorways to help the poor and disadvantaged urban and suburbanites of the south living in their unnatural density and intensity to connect to jobs, services and amenities, I believe it is their right. As I equally believe islanders should not be prejudiced against, just for being connected to their island nation by water instead of land. This is the British Isles, not some continental nation to which an island is an exotic appendage. We are supposed to be a nation of islands, working together, though apparently not on equal terms.
Derek from the Assynt Foundation sends in the Harvest and Trade of Moss in Scotland, from Sam Staddon for her Masters dissertation at the University of Edinburgh. Yet another potential diversified use for your community’s land.
A feature article on Regeneration Hubs has been written for the Third Sector magazine. It outlines how community-run enterprises and community-owned Hub buildings can offer hope for areas that suffer poor public services and high unemployment. It includes details on a novel method called the Organisation Workshop that has been tried with success in the developing World.
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Featured CLI- Wooplaw Community Woodlands
Featured this month is the Borders community woodlands Wooplaw Community Woodlands – see SCLN Featured CLI
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The Community Land Initiatives – The Way Forward
The community land sector is showing signs of maturity with the recent gathering of some of the larger community-owned estates for the forum: Community Land Initiatives – the Way Forward. The weekend was superbly hosted by Knoydart Foundation, always good hosts and keen community land activist and facilitated by that incomparable couple, Gauld & MacKay. The outcome of the forum proposes a thoughtful joined-up programme to move the community land sector forward. A forward-looking report is to be released shortly for the wider public, so I won’t pre-empt it. I’ll just give a flavour of some of the concerns raised.
Community-owned land now exceeds the combined land area of National Trust for Scotland, RSPB, JMT and SWT. Even this is to be significantly dwarfed by the potential of aspiring communities with some 500,000 hectares additional land yet to come in. Still, these NGO’s are setting the agendas for land use not communities. We are often treated contemptuously or patronisingly by some Scottish Executive departments and NDPBs (is that non Democratic or non Departmental Public Bodies, I can never remember which, quangos is always more memorable and we know exactly what that means!). Is this because we are largely volunteers? Perhaps it is that the depth and scope of our vision is beyond the grasp of these largely single-interest agencies & NGOs? Is their vision is not capable of extending beyond their short-sighted boundaries of interest or of time? There is little or no joined up thinking between these organisations. They are drowning us in red tape, feasibility studies and long term estate and business plans. Soon these communities will have completely exhausted the good will of community volunteers who have often joined to make a practical difference, not a virtual one. We are in this for the very long term, multi-generational term, and these communities, our communities will outlive any one person, trend, organisation and belief or political system. This is our land; we have made it what it is and we will make it what it will be. They had better start engaging communities on equal terms or there will be a revolt at playing this game on their terms. This is no game for our communities; this is the very survival of our rural communities and our rural culture. Nemo Me Impune Lacessit, the defiant national motto of Scotland would do us equally well!
Agree, disagree or have another opinion you like aired, contact steve@communityland.org.uk
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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 membership - 1321
Thanks to contributions from Neil Gerrard, Diane Campbell, Lorna Andrews, Bill Ferguson, Derek Louden, Gareth Potts, Micheala Hunter, Donnie MacKay and Munro Gauld
This newsletter has been generously funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Lomond & Rural Stirling Leader+ and North Highland Leader+
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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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