A new platform where people can share their experiences with the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry has recently gone live! You can access the online platform here.   You can find tools and resources to help you share your experiences, including: forms, guidance for groups, Easy Read resources, materials for children, and translations into different languages.   Read more…

A fund designed to support local regeneration and sustainable development around Scotland’s coast has been launched by Crown Estate Scotland (CES).    The Sustainable Communities Fund, is made up of two different programmes. Total investment across the two programmes could reach £750,000 over the next three years.   The Community Capacity Grants Programme, open to Read more…

Overview Scottish Rural Action (SRA) were delighted to join the Youth Climate Camp in Badaguish from the 7th to the 11th of August 2023. SRA Board director, Aimee Spence  and staff member, Catriona Mallows attended and delivered a workshop encouraging young people to reflect on the ways in which their voices, both individually and collectively, Read more…

Bold Studio, a Branding, Creative and Digital Consultancy based in Glasgow are launching a new programme called “Brand for Growth”. Bold Studio are currently looking to promote the project with hopes of reaching a larger amount of Social Enterprises.     The programme is a competitive process which will select 3 Social Enterprises or Charities Read more…

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) recently published their ‘Big Small Business Survey: 2023 Findings Report’ which presents the views of Scotland’s small business community on a variety of subjects, with insights into the variance in different groups according to business age, sector, gender and more. In the weeks and months ahead, FSB are looking Read more…

The Social Enterprise Awards Scotland are back for 2023, celebrating the incredible work and impact of social enterprises across the country.   The awards are a real opportunity to showcase the very best of the sector, highlighting the agility, ability and active role that social enterprises play in building places, supporting communities and making a Read more…

Our third Rural Social Enterprise Session took place on the 13th of June and prompted some interesting discussion. We were first joined by Robyn Barclay from Third Sector Lab. Third Sector Lab have extensive experience of working in digital and design for charities, social enterprises, community groups and public sector. One of the biggest projects undertaken Read more…

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) are looking to increase climate confidence in Scotland’s third sector. In order to do this, they have introduced a new website to support the Sector to take action on the climate crisis. SCVO have worked in partnership with CEIS Group, Community Enterprise, Firstport, Scottish Communities Climate Action Network (SCCAN), Read more…

  The Rural Social Enterprise Hub has today published its 2023 Stakeholder Report, detailing the background of the project, work to date, ongoing development, and future priorities. The report is available to view here: Rural SE Hub Stakeholder Report Apr 2023   The report informs on the key objectives of the Rural Social Enterprise Hub, Read more…

The Scottish Rural & Island Transport Convention (SRITC) Gathering 2023 was held in the Scottish Highlands & took place between the 10th and 12th of May. The main planery session took place on the 11th of May at Boat of Garten Community Hall. Boat of Garten is a small village nestled between Aviemore and Grantown Read more…

The SEWF (Social Enterprise World Forum) Youth Forum took place virtually on the 28th of March 2023 and connected participants from around the World with over 750 inspiring young changemakers. The event featured successful young social entrepreneurs who shared their stories of success and failure within the Sector. Participants got answers to some of the most Read more…

Our second Rural Social Enterprise Session took place on the 20th of April and prompted some interesting discussion. We were first joined by Jennifer & Sarah-Jane from CodeBase. The main aim of CodeBase is to help people build better businesses with a focus on building culture, community and education that promotes and supports tech innovation. Read more…

On the 29th of March 2023, Social Enterprise Scotland held an online event which explored the topic of Employability in a Rural and Remote Context. Three Social Enterprises working across Scotland (Inspiralba, Works + & Cothrom) shared their model of practice, and the specific challenges in delivering effective employability outcomes in rural areas. The session Read more…

Details of Firstport‘s Social Innovation Challenge 2023 have been announced. This year, the Programme will look for new social enterprise ideas to remove the deep-rooted obstacles that prevent individuals and communities from living fulfilling and dignified lives, particularly in light of the current rising cost of living crisis. The Programme will award £50,000 to the Read more…

A Rural Policy meeting was held on the 31st of January 2023 in the Scottish Parliament and was coordinated by the Rural Policy Centre, SRUC and speakers and members of the Rural Cross-Party Group. Speakers included Ailsa Clark from Inspiralba who’s presentation highlighted the importance of ‘Shifting the Narrative: Stories of Rural Resilience in a Read more…

SCOTO Conference 2023 The SCOTO Scottish Community Tourism Conference was held on the 2nd of March 2023 in the Duke of Gordon Hotel in Kingussie within the Cairngorms National Park. The event celebrated SCOTO Network’s mission to build the skills, connections and confidence of people working in community-led tourism while asking the question; ‘Is tourism Read more…

Access and Progression Routes Supporting Youth Employment for the Rural and Social Economy Context setting: Skills shortages – Businesses struggling to recruit and retain staff post-Brexit. Aging Workforce and board members – Many community-led and social enterprises have older senior staff and board members, with succession planning a priority for many. Post pandemic – Recognition of Read more…

Our first Rural Social Enterprise Session took place on the 2nd of February and prompted some interesting discussion. We were first joined by Diane Smith from SCOTO. SCOTO is a network of community tourism enterprises located throughout Scotland. Led by a team of dynamic individuals who each have extensive and varied experience in community tourism, Read more…

Are you looking for some work or research to support business decisions? Do you want something done but: Don’t have the resource? Don’t have the know-how?   The Stirling Management School at the University of Stirling is looking for external organisations (businesses, third sector, sole traders etc.) to propose projects for postgraduate students that will Read more…

A report which details ‘Reflections from the SEWF ’22 Rural Gathering’ was published on the 22nd of December 2022. Produced by ACRE, the report provides an overview of the Rural Gathering programmatic approach. It also includes a synthesis of approaches and insights generated during ‘deep dive’ discussions focused on these core themes: Impact investments rural Read more…

(Originally posted in ‘Comment by Community Enterprise’ 09/12/22) Creating a Strong and Inclusive Board Andrew Rogers Community Enterprise, Development Officer     How can we make our board more representative of our community? It’s an important question and one which we’ve been looking at with several clients over the last few months.   In each Read more…

(Originally published at http://codel.scot/best-rsa-blogpost-2022-awarded-to-codel on 08/12/22)   CoDeL have received an award from the Regional Studies Association for their best blogpost in 2022: view the video here. They say they are delighted that this global research network recognises the insight held by many so-called remote rural and island communities as they confront global crises, and Read more…

Mike Staples and Ronnie MacRae reveal how community-led housing helps address repopulation challenges in Scottish communities. Between 2009 and 2013, 40 people left the small Gaelic-speaking crofting community of Staffin in the north of Skye. This was a 6.6% population drop in four years. The James Hutton Institute forecasts a quarter of the population of the North Read more…

Social Enterprise Scotland (SES) have been carrying out extensive consultation with their members on the impact the Cost-of-Living Crisis is having on social enterprise – through members’ network meetings, a recent survey to gather intelligence, a Cross-Party Group for Social Enterprise and additional conversations with members. They have listened to what has been shared and Read more…