Not-for-profit community groups in rural areas will soon be able to apply for funding of up to £50,000 to trial new and innovative ways to address local challenges and benefit from local opportunities. The Rural Communities “Ideas into Action” Fund is supported by £1.5 million of Scottish Government funding and will be delivered in Read more…
Social enterprise, social innovation and self-directed care: lessons from Scotland
This study based on guided conversations with 19 stakeholders explored the experiences of social enterprises that deliver social care in Scotland within the Self Directed Support (SDS) framework. It found mixed evidence of transformation in the Scottish social care market and significant differences between urban and rural settings. It highlights misconceptions of social enterprise as Read more…
Smart Villages
“Smart villages are communities in rural areas that use innovative solutions to improve their resilience , building on local strengths and opportunities”. Smart villages is a sub-theme of the European Network for Rural Development’s work on ‘Smart and Competitive Rural Areas’. Case studies, publications and information from the thematic group available at: https://enrd.ec.europa.eu/enrd-thematic-work/smart-and-competitive-rural-areas/smart-villages_en
HIE Community Capacity Building
Throughout our communities, there are a range of projects being scoped, underway or already completed and delivering real benefits to our communities. In this publication we have focussed on a selection of the communities we are supporting to give a flavour of the variety of developments being undertaken, always recognising that these communities are at different stages in their journeys towards resilience and have different priorities.