Rural Community Gateway

Congratulations to the Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop who recently picked up the Community Action Award at the second TFN Scottish Charity Awards, also known as the Tiffanies.

The awards were presented at Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza on Thursday 26th June 2008, at a celebratory dinner for Scotland’s voluntary sector. Scotttish Council for Voluntary Organisations convenor Alison Elliot announced the winners, and Scotland’s Finance Secretary John Swinney presented awards.

Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop was founded in 2002 and teaches traditional fiddle, offers traditional music concerts and arts, crafts and author events, not just to its own tiny west coast community, but also to residents and visitors across Cowal and Argyll.

Scottish moorland website launches

The Scottish Countryside Alliance Educational Trust has launched a new website about managed moorland in Scotland. On MoorlandScotland.org.uk they have pulled together the most important and up to date research studies and moorland related news stories, along with links to organisations involved in moorland management.

There are approximately three million hectares of moorland cover in Scotland. Although almost a quarter of Scotland’s heather moorland has been lost in the past 60 years.

Nicola Chalmers Watson, Director of the SCAET said the website "will be developed as time goes on and partners will be invited to contribute information where they have particular knowledge. We intend to build it up as a ‘virtual library’, but always to keep the focus on the moorland which comprises nearly 40 per cent of Scotland’s land area. Moorlands are precious places for different people and for different purposes, and debate can be passionate. Our aim is to inform those debates and direct people to where they can find as much information as they want."

Glamorous fashion show for rural charity

RSABI, formerly the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution, have organised a glamorous fundraising fashion show in a bid to attract funds from Scotland’s city dwellers.

Jenners will be supplying the fashion for ‘The Edinburgh Fashion Show Dinner’ which is being stage-managed by premier fashion show experts Catwalk Productions. The event will take place at Prestonfield on 12th September 2008.

Chief Executive of RSABI Dr Maurice Hankey said, "This event aims to heighten our profile through a prestigious and stylish fashion evening that will appeal to professional business people, corporate firms and sophisticated cosmopolitans. Our charity, which helps people who have depended on land-based occupations and who have now fallen on hard times is probably unknown to those who don’t relate to rural life much. Yet these farmers, farm-workers, crofters etc are among the people who, during their working lives, have helped shape the Scottish countryside we all care so passionately about."

Tickets for the show are £110 per head which includes a champagne reception, three course dinner and wine plus the fashion show. Tickets are available from Marianne on 0131 445 5570 or visit the RSABI website for more information.

Farmers and landowners urged to get into renewables

Scottish Renewables, the green energy trade body, has estimated that Scottish farms have the potential to generate electricity equivalent to one sixth of Scottish household’s total demand by each farm installing just one 15kW wind turbine.

Along with the SRPBA, Scottish Renewables have launched a brochure which showcases some small scale applications that are being used by Scottish estates to reduce energy bills and diversity income.

Jason Ormiston, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables said, "Scotland’s farms and estates have renewable resources waiting to be harnessed in the battle against climate change and energy insecurity. As well as hosting larger scale technology such as windfarms, there are many small scale opportunities for farms to meet their own demands for fuel and electricity and to feed into the electricity grid."

You can download the Rural Business Using Renewables brochure from our documents library.

Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Awards – last call for entries

The Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Awards celebrate achievement and excellence in the food and drink industry in the area. If you think your business could win one of 11 awards then enter now – the closing date is 21st July 2008.

The Awards are supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Forum and Williamson Foodservice.

Henshelwoods Fine Foods was the winner of the Highlands and Islands Food and Drink New Product Award in 2007. Bob Henshelwood said, "As a young company, the award gave our products a credibility that would normally take much longer to achieve. This is important when we are developing the business and building on the network of over 200 retail outlets currently stocking our products across the UK."

To find out more visit the Highlands and Islands Food and Drink webpages.

Bute project secures four year funding

The Discover Bute Landscape Partnership Scheme will continue in Bute for the next four years. The project is about landscape conservation and regeneration.

The group aims to:

• Encourage more people to be involved in, and make decisions about, their heritage
• To conserve and enhance their heritage
• To make sure everyone can learn about, have access to and enjoy their surroundings

The Heritage Lottery Fund approved a grant from the Bute Conservation Trust for £1.78m recently. Together with funding from Argyll and Bute Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Buteshire Natural History Society, the RSPB, Mount Stuart Trust and Glasgow Archaeological Society, the total project is worth just over £2.8m.

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