This event was the second in our series of residential Gatherings. While the CLE funding formed part of the overall event budget, it was particularly important in enabling the study visit hosting and covering most delegate travel costs. The study visit to Assynt Development Trust in Lochinver acted as the central anchor for the two-day programme.

Delegates consistently highlighted the value of visiting Assynt Development Trust projects in action, including housing, enterprise activity and environmental initiatives. Seeing completed and evolving projects provided tangible examples of long-term community engagement and resilience.

Participants reflected on shared challenges in volunteer capacity, leadership transition, and engaging younger generations. Hearing from groups across the Highlands and Islands helped normalise these challenges while surfacing practical responses.

The study visit provided concrete insight into how communities overcome practical barriers, including long development timescales, funding complexity, and governance pressures. Seeing projects such as housing developments, environmental initiatives and enterprise activity operating in challenging circumstances helped translate abstract policy discussions into real-world application.

Learning Outcomes

• Delegates will deepen their understanding of effective, ongoing community engagement, drawing on practical examples from the study visit and peer discussion, and identify approaches they can adapt within their own organisations.
• Delegates will strengthen their thinking and planning around succession, including how to encourage new people into leadership roles, support volunteer development, and build long-term organisational resilience.
• Delegates will build meaningful peer connections with other community groups, with dedicated time together — including shared travel — helping to form relationships that support continued learning, collaboration, and problem-solving beyond the event.

"The exchanges helped surface broader sector reflections- such as environmental sustainability, estate-scale engagement, crofting land management, and the implications of emerging land legislation. We noted the value of connecting with people we had previously only known remotely, which strengthened our existing professional relationships."