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Information 
News
Rural Update 117
If you've been browsing the site recently you might have noticed some new features. We've added some new pages under our Information section and our Help and About Us section. There are exciting new ways to get involved, and we hope the new info in Help and About Us will help you get the most out of the Rural Gateway. Look out for some more changes coming to the site soon.
Rural videos and photos - share them on the Rural Gateway
We're particularly excited about our new Video and Gallery pages, which you'll find in the Information menu. The Gallery is different from our photo competition. You can send us your photos on any aspect of living and working in rural Scotland for inclusion in our gallery. They don't have to be artistic or technically great, they just have to be interesting! We also want to hear from you if you know of a video, or have made one, that will be of interest to Rural Gateway users. Send your photos and links to videos to editor@ruralgateway.org.uk.
We'll use the Gallery and Video pages to give you more on rural news and issues we're covering. For example, in our Gallery you can find photos from the Village Halls Summit in Aviemore, and in our Video section, you can watch a Scottish Government video on the launch of the wildcat survey.
Get involved
New to the Rural Gateway? Interested in getting involved? Not sure how? Then take a look at our new How to get involved page in our Help and About Us section. Here, you'll find information on the different ways you can get involved with the Rural Gateway. Your contributions - large and small - are really important to us. So, fancy writing a special report or sending us news from your area? Find out more in How to get involved.
Safeguarding our rural schools consultation
The Scottish Government are urging teachers, parents, young people and anyone with an interest in rural schools to take part in their 'Safeguarding our rural schools' consultation. You can download the consultation document from our library and read more in Rural school closures - have your say.
What do you think about the way school closures are dealt with? What are your views on the Scottish Government's proposals for change? We want to know what you think about these issues, and any raised in the consultation. You can add your comments to the article Rural school closures - have your say.
International Spotlight
Our latest International Spotlight is a great report from Julian Pace on his recent visit to the Swedish Rural Parliament. The Swedish Rural Parliament meets every two years and brings together 1000 people from Sweden, and other countries, to discuss rural issues and to rouse the rural voice. What did Julian Pace learn about rural development in Sweden? Are there ways of working that would translate to rural Scotland? Find out in International Spotlight: Swedish Rural Parliament.
What's Going On?
We launched our first 'What's Going On?' in April. You can read about some exciting events coming up all across the country - from slow food festivals in North Berwick to Craft and Produce days in Onich. You can also read about the recent 'Sound of the Deer' event in Falkland Palace in Helen Lawrenson's review of the event. Read all about it in What's Going On? April 2008. Please feel free to add your comments if you've attended any of the events featured or want to mention a similar event in your area.
We're now looking for contributions for the May feature. Remember, there are two ways to take part:
- Send us up to 100 words on an upcoming event in your area. Don't forget to include where to get further information.
- Send us a review of up to 250 words on a recent cultural or community event. Send us a photo if you have one.
Send your submissions to editor@ruralgateway.org.uk before 23rd May. Upcoming events include the Ullapool Book Festival and the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. If you're going to these events, or something else interesting, why not send us a review?
Working away in rural Scotland - winner announced
Colin Johnston has won the photo competition prize for our 'Working away in rural Scotland' theme, with 'Counting sheep at Cnip grazing'. (See photo below.) The winning photo was taken at Cnip community sheep grazing meeting on the Isle of Lewis. Tom Dalziel was runner up with his atmospheric photo of a salmon netter. See both photos in Counting sheep wins working away photo competition.
Going wild - send your entries now!
For our 'Going wild in rural Scotland' theme we're looking for your photos of wildlife. We want to see what animals, birds, trees and plants you've captured on camera. We've already had some fantastic entries - it's shaping up to be a brilliant competition! So, send your photos to editor@ruralgateway.org.uk. The closing date is 29th June 2008. Don't forget you can submit in advance for any of our themes. More information on our photo competition.
Young photographers competition
Don't forget we also have a special competition for photographers under the age of 18. Young photographers can submit photos under any of our themes before 15th December 2008. Find out more here.
Join the discussion
Comments have recently been added to the articles Great Rural Debate on Tourism, Lewis windfarm refused consent and Rural Rambling 13. Take a look at the comments and give us your views.
Rural poverty - focus group wanted
The Scottish Government have extended a discussion on tackling poverty, inequality and deprivation until 30th June 2008. Find out more here. As part of the discussion, the Poverty Alliance wants to meet with groups in rural Scotland to discuss particular issues about poverty in rural areas. Are you part of a group or network that would be interested in participating in a focus group? Find out more in our Rural Answers section.
Rural Answers - can you help?We've had other postings in Rural Answers in the past couple of weeks. Siobhan Moran is looking for four weeks of interesting work over the summer. Siobhan is in her first year studying environmental geoscience. Aulyin wants to know if a Burns's Corridor Network can be set up so towns and villages from Irvine to Gretna can organise a programme of events for the year of Homecoming Scotland. And Greta Cowper has two speakers/amplifiers that are free to uplift. If you can help, have advice, suggestions or are interested in the speakers go to our Rural Answers section.
EventsIf you want to improve your communication skills, then an Authentic Communication Training event in Dumfries and Galloway could be for you. At the end of May, you can go along to a session in Abernethy near Perth called 'Thinking of going organic?'. These are just two of the events currently in our calendar.
DocumentsRecently added documents include the Scottish Fossil Code, Natural Justice - a report about the investigation and prosecution of wildlife crime in Scotland, and a report from the e-Communities study in the Highlands and Islands. SCVO's first SRDP Briefing Paper is the most downloaded document in our library so far this year. It has been downloaded 250 times since the last email newsletter!
Funding newswireIf you need to know about funding, sign up for our very popular Funding latest newswire, produced by Sandra Hogg, our resident funding expert. Remember to select to receive them in html format.
Thank youThanks to John Henderson Todd, Michael Johnston, Brian Moffat, Phil Olson, Jill Donnachie, Helen Lawrenson, Gerard Eastick, Anna Barton, Archaeology Scotland, Lisa Glaze, Piers Voysey, Mags McCartney, Fred Black, Siobhan Moran, Julian Pace, David Woodhouse, Moira Forsyth, Sally MacKenzie, Aulyin, Great Cowper, Sally Odgersand more for their recent comments and contributions.
Top Stories
Rural school closures - have you say
- Poverty, inequality and deprivation discussion extended
- Lewis windfarm refused consent
- A Southerly Aspect: Inspirational Places, Inspirational People
- Rural Rambling 13
- Rural Round Up 92
- Counting sheep wins working away photo competition
- Illegal animal poisonings on the increase
- Experiences of working life for Highland pupils
- Deer Commission to merge into SNH
- Special report: Raasay Mill restoration
- NFU Scotland hold Rural Priorities surgeries
- International Spotlight: Swedish Rural Parliament
- What's Going On? April 2008
Contact us
We are always happy to hear from Rural Gateway users, so please feel free to email editor@ruralgateway.org.uk with any comments or suggestions. If you wish to unsubsribe from this newsletter go to My Newsletters.
Best wishes
Norette Ferns
- Source
- Rural Gateway
- Date
- 7-May-2008
- Categories
- Newsletter Archive, All Scotland