Rural Community Gateway

Editor's Note
We've had a couple of great special reports recently. Barbara MacDonald, Manager of Cothrom, tells us about their new learning centre in Ormiclate, South Uist. The new facility cost over £1m. You can find out how they went about getting funding, what has been going on in the new learning centre and what advice Barbara would give to others tackling a similar project. Find out more in Special report: Cothrom's new learning centre.

We've also had a report from Morag Redwood, Project Leader at the Highlands and Islands Equality Forum. Morag tells us about the recent 'Equal Opportunities in Rural Scotland' event held in Inverness. Find out more in Special report: Equal opportunities in rural Scotland.

If you want to write a special report for the Rural Gateway, take part in any of our regular features, or want to become a regular contributor get in touch by emailing editor@ruralgateway.org.uk.

What's Going On?
In 'What's Going On?' you share news of interesting and exciting community and cultural events coming up in your area. In our May edition you can find out about a Wildlife Festival at the Scottish Seabird Centre, the Lanark Medieval Festival and a photography exhibition from the overall winner of our 2007 photo competition. You'll also find a festival round up to get you in the mood for the many music festivals happening in rural Scotland in the coming months. You can tell us about your favourite festival memory, share your festival survival tips and tell us about a festival in your area by adding a comment to What's Going On? May 2008.

There are two ways to take part in this feature:

• Send us 100 words on an upcoming event, including where to go for more information.
• Send us a review up to 250 words on a recent rural event. Don't forget to include a photo if you have one.

Send your contributions to editor@ruralgateway.org.uk.

Video of the week
Our current Video of the Week is Bodega's performance at the Shetland Folk Festival 2007. To tie in with our festival round up in 'What's Going On?' we added a number of festival videos to our video section section last week, including promotional videos for 2007's Outsider Festival, the Hebridean Celtic Festival and a short documentary about the Wickerman Festival. We're looking forward to seeing your videos from 2008's festivals. So nominate your videos, or videos you like, for our Video of the Week by sending links to editor@ruralgateway.org.uk.

Working Away in Rural Scotland Gallery
In our 'Working Away in Rural Scotland Gallery' you'll find the best submissions to that theme of our photo competition. We've got forestry, salmon netting, gardening, crofting and more!

Going Wild competition hotting up!
We've had some brilliant entries to our 'Going Wild in Rural Scotland' theme of the photo competition. For this theme, we want to see what creatures, great and small, you've managed to capture on camera. Send your photos to editor@ruralgateway.org.uk before 29th June 2008.

Migration survey for young people
A major online migration survey has been launched to find out what people aged 16 to 30 think of the Highlands and Islands. The survey only takes around ten minutes to complete. We'd encourage as many people as possible to take part. You can find out more here.

Reintroduction of beavers - what's your view?
Beavers are set for a comeback to Scotland, 400 years after they were hunted to extinction. The Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland have had their plans for a trial reintroduction in Mid-Argyll approved. This will be the first formal reintroduction of a native mammal in Scotland. What do you think about the beaver coming back? Do you think other mammal reintroductions will follow, such as wolf and lynx? You can let us know what you think by adding a comment to Beavers set for comeback.

Rural Round Up 93
In our latest Rural Round Up, we've got news on Historic Scotland funding, Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead's 'eat Scottish' week, a new shop selling Spruce products, Young Rural Entrepreneur of the Year and Growing Up in Rural Scotland documents.

Post Office closures for the North East, Tayside and Fife
The local consultation on the future of the post office network in the North East, Tayside and Fife has begun. Post Office Ltd have published their proposals for which branches will close and which will be replaced with 'outreach services'. The independent postal watchdog Postwatch Scotland are urging customers to take part. Find out more in Post office closures in North East, Tayside and Fife - have your say.

Broadband issues - how do they affect you?
Ian Jarvie has made an interesting posting in our Rural Answers section about broadband. He asks why do rural (low speed) broadband users pay the same as urban (high speed) broadband users? We'd be keen to hear what you think about the issues raised in Ian's posting and the responses added so far. Read Ian's posting here.

Funding for community owned bakery - any ideas?
The community group Sustainable Dunbar would like to take over a local bakery when the current baker retires and turn it into a community-owned venture selling organic based produce. Do you have any ideas or suggestions where the group could go for funding? Read the posting here.

What do tourists want to buy?
We've had some postings in response to Neil Paterson's posting in Rural Answers about what tourists want to buy. What do you think about the comments added so far? Do you have any experiences to share? Join the discussion here.

Calor Village of the Year deadline extension
The Calor Village of the Year Awards give your community the chance to win up to £4000 for community development. The Awards are open to villages/settlements with a population of less than 5,000. The deadline has been extended until 30th June 2008. Find out more in Calor Village of the Year deadline extended.

What's the secret of growing great tomatoes
You can find out in Patrick Vickery's latest Rural Rambling. You'll also discover why Patrick won't adopt the method!

Events
In our events section you'll find details of events happening around rural Scotland, including taster days from the Scottish Agricultural College, DTA Scotland's annual conference and a conference on reducing wildlife crime. You can send details of your event to editor@ruralgateway.org.uk. Remember to include a contact email address and telephone number.

Documents
Recently added documents include the final report from the Committee of Inquiry on Crofting, in English and Gaelic, the Equal Opportunities in Rural Scotland Conference report and the Economic Report on Scottish Agriculture 2008 edition.

Funding newswire
If 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 you
Thanks to Les Sharp, Ian Jarvie, Brian Moffat, John Henderson Todd, David Woodhouse, Clare Swinton, Austin Taylor, Cathy Stephenson, Maggi Kaye, George Topp, Judith Lowes, Louise Moran, Patrick Vickery, Barbara MacDonald, Hazel Collier, Iain Caddell, Mike George, Morag Redwood, Kevin Arrowsmith, Michael Johnston and more for their recent comments and contributions.

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Top Stories

• Rural Round Up 93
• Special report: Equal opportunities in rural Scotland
• First meeting for new Rural Development Council
• Working away in rural Scotland gallery
• Rural Rambling 14
• Special report: Cothrom's new learning centre
• Calor Village of the Year deadline extended
• What's Going On? May 2008
• North East, Tayside and Fife post office closures - have your say
• Beavers set for comeback

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

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Norette Ferns

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