Author: Stuart Crowther, STV

A report placed before Moray councillors today set a clear path towards community ownership and management of existing council assets.

Councillors went to great lengths to make clear that the report before them provided a strategy for the council, and any interested community groups, to follow.

Councillor Allan Wright, chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, stressed that the document did not propose the sale of any particular council assets.

He told the committee: “I would like to make the point that this is not the council selling off to the highest bidder some or any of its assets.

“This is a follow-up to what was in the budget package, that we would be moving towards a trust for our leisure facilities, and at the same time we would invite interest from community groups who had an idea of taking over some of the council’s current assets and running them themselves.

Councillor Wright added that there had been a number of seminars explaining ways that community groups might go about taking over assets and these had been oversubscribed.

He said: “What became clear from the seminar attended by members was that before we could move any further forward, or before community groups could move forward, we had to have a strategy.That is the strategy in front of the council. There is no list of properties that we want to sell off as has been stated in some quarters, this is facilitating potential take-over of some of our assets by community groups and enabling that to happen.”
 
Community planning manager John Ferguson, who prepared the report, highlighted that the strategy provided an explanation on just what was meant by asset transfer. He also identified the benefits it may have to community organisations and the council in adopting the strategy.

He said: “It also makes clear the national strategy context – there is a move by the Scottish Government to support and encourage the transfer of assets to community groups. We talk about providing a single gateway, and a clear route and process for community groups, and I think that is the essence of the strategy.”
 
“Community groups that may express an interest will have a clear route within the council for acquiring an asset – currently we have no clear approach within the council and this allows us to do that. There is a clear policy statement outlining the conditions we would expect before we pass over ownership, and a clear outline of the business plan we would require from community groups.”
 
Barry Jarvis, councillor for Elgin City North, welcomed the document, saying: “This is one of the most important documents that have come before this committee in recent times. I think community asset transfer is a fantastic way to empower and give communities a genuine say in our future. I read a statement in a newspaper about selling the family silver, but it is about giving the family silver back to where it belongs and into the hands of the community.”
 
That was a point agreed on by Councillor Lee Bell, who said: “There seems to have been a lot of misinformation regarding this strategy, suggesting that we are trying to sell off the family silver. This is clearly not the case – this is in response to requests from the community to take over assets. The Tolbooth in Forres is a prime example, we are only responding to requests from the community, and it is important that point is put over.”
 
Draft copy of strategy here

About The Big Lunch

The Big Lunch is a very simple idea from the Eden Project. The aim is to get as many people as possible across the whole of the UK to have lunch with their neighbours in a simple act of community, freindship and fun. This year it’s happening on Sunday 5th June and a record number of people are expected to take part – why not be one of them?

A Big Lunch can be anything from a few neighbours getting together in the garden or on the street, to a full blown party with food, music and decoration that quite literally stops the traffic.

Since starting in 2009, thousands of Big Lunches have taken place in all kinds of communities across the UK and the best part of a million people get involved each year.

To have fun, to make friends with your neighbours, to share skills and stories…

Check out your photos and stories from the Big Lunches held in 2009 and 2010. Be inspired

Why we started it

The Eden Project started The Big Lunch in the belief that we, as a society, are better equipped to tackle the challenges that we face when we face them together.

Since the event began in 2009, thousands of Big Lunches have taken place in all kinds of communities and the best part of a million people have been involved each year. A record number of people right across the country are expected to take part in 2011.

The thinking behind The Big Lunch

The Big Lunch is based on a belief that the world can be a better place through people working together, with nature, optimism and common sense.
• We know that when people get together, we become more positive and start to sort out some serious stuff.
• By simply having some fun with our neighbours on one day in the summer, we can build new friendships that we can enjoy for the rest of the year.
• The Big Lunch is a chance for neighbours from different generations and backgrounds to hear each other out and share stories, skills and interests. We call this phenomenon ‘human warming’.

Find out about the long tradition of community celebrations on Britain’s streets. Past street parties

Bill Kirkhope

Born: January 23, 1923; Died: March 28, 2011.

BILL Kirkhope, who has died aged 88, was a successful electrical engineer who spent most of his working life abroad. When he came home he was an active nationalist, but also an exceptional community activist and leader.

He was born in Carluke, went to school in the town and started an electrical engineer apprenticeship at the age of 16, before joining the army at 19. It was there he travelled, first to Egypt as part of the Royal Electrical and Mechanic Engineers, based in Alexandria.

He left the army in 1947 and met and married the love of his life, Betty, in 1949. She was his wife for over 50 years before her death in 2000 and they lived in many countries, including Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Yemen and Sri Lanka.

But he loved Scotland and upon his return in 1972, Mr Kirkhope started a life in politics, always supporting the SNP. He spent six years, from 1974 to 1980, as district councillor for Carluke West.

He spent most of his time for the next 20 years in community and voluntary activity.

One of his earliest commitments was the new Clydesdale Housing Association. He chaired the organisation between 1996 and 1999, when they built over 120 homes. He held other positions and showed a genuine and strong commitment to tenant participation, learning and development.

During his period he also chaired Carluke Community Council for 10 years, and was vice chairman, helping to revive the Carluke Gala day celebrations.

As vice chairman of the Association of Local Voluntary Organisations in rural South Lanarkshire he helped support and facilitate the development of the voluntary sector contribution to the economic, social and cultural development of the community.

When a development trust started in Carluke in 1999, he was one of its first directors, helping to pursue environmental projects and contribute to town management and development.

When Care and Repair in South Lanarkshire split from Clydesdale Housing Association, he became secretary from 2003. Its crucial role in providing information and advice on home repairs, improvements and adaptations to elderly and disabled homeowners and private sector tenants was close to his heart.

He did not limit himself to his local area and joined the board of the Legal Services Agency (LSA) in 1992, when he was 69. LSA tackles the unmet legal needs of disadvantage individuals and groups throughout Scotland. He recognised the importance of this work and became its secretary, only giving up this position in 2010 because of his ill health.

As part of his involvement in Clydesdale Housing association he joined the Clydeside Federation of Community Based Housing Associations in 1996, and was a board member when it became EVH – supporting social employers. He was appointed vice chairman in 2005, and chairman in 2009 at the age of 86. He was a softly spoken man but now had to chair conferences of 300 people and direct a business supporting 180 social employers the length and breadth of Scotland.

Unfortunately his health was poor but it didn’t stop him chairing conferences, attending meetings and the opening of new offices with his old friend, the Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, in July 2010. The photograph of that event was at his bedside in hospital in his last week.

The Kirkhopes never had any children but he had many nieces and nephews, some joining them on their foreign jaunts.

He was presented a Social Award from South Lanarkshire Council in 2008 and had a street in Carluke named after him (Kirkhope Place).

Through all this voluntary activity, he made a great friend in Muriel Alcorn. They were good company for each other and were lucky to enjoy so much in common in his later years.

Despite being less mobile he still tried to keep up his interests and even took on a new one last year, the Scottish Community Alliance. In late 2010 he was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer and moved to stay with his niece, Bett, and her family in Livingstone. He still provided wise counsel for those who dropped in and even a few laughs. He will be missed by the many he touched throughout his life and his legacy will live on.

http://www.catrine.org.uk/

Catrine Community Trust are reeling after a sensational couple of weeks when they have received the well deserved recognition of an East Ayrshire Community Planning Award and a total of over £2.0m in three separate funding awards. Firstly, East Ayrshire Council granted the Trust £170,000 towards the balance of the purchase of the former St. Joseph’s Chapel and priest house, enabling the purchase to go ahead in the nick of time under the “Community Right to Buy” legislation. Then Rural Priorities granted a staggering £1,849, 207 towards conservation works to save Catrine Weir and to fund part of the conversion of St. Joseph’s to a community education and visitor interpretation centre. Finally the Climate Challenge Fund granted £50,218 towards the Trust’s Green Grow Catrine Powerdown project.

Chair, George Smith, was full of praise for the assistance given by East Ayrshire Council Restoring Communities staff and said “This is a great example of the partnership working which can show great benefits to the community if people and organisations just co-operate and pull together”

The money arrived like the cavalry just in the nick of time at a make or break point in the Trust’s history. Established as the Catrine Voes Trust in 1994, in 2005 the Trust was reborn as Catrine Community Trust and rejuvenated by an influx of new Directors after the Voes Trust had run out of steam. But six years on a project that was not so much too big to fail but seemed too big and complex to succeed was on the brink of collapse as the pieces of the jigsaw frustratingly continued to elude each other. But when it all came together over the last fortnight it proved that some miracles are not heaven sent but manmade and the hard work of the Trusts’ members, directors, employees and associates along with the sterling support of East Ayrshire Council was recognised at the recent East Ayrshire Community Planning Awards when CCT won the regeneration equivalent of an Oscar.

Linda Pirrie, Vice Chair, commented that “This is a wonderful reward for the dedicated Directors and staff of the Trust after long planning hours, hard work redrafting applications and frustratingly slow progress with funding”.

It will now be full steam ahead for the Trust as it makes its final push for the last of the funding it needs in a Stage 2 bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund this summer. The Trust secured a Stage 1 Pass in August 2009 for £650,000 and was awarded £90,000 to develop its plans to Stage 2. If this final tranche of money can be secured Catrine will become a hive of regeneration activity in 2012.

The 1950 hydroelectric scheme will be brought back into operation for community benefit to provide an income stream thanks to a BIG Lottery “Growing Community Assets” award of £434,000 secured last year, St. Joseph’s will be transformed into a visitor education and interpretation centre, and the Catrine Weir will finally receive long-needed conservation works to stabilise it. This will help to begin to achieve the Trust’s long-term aims – to conserve Catrine’s industrial archaeology heritage for future generations to enjoy, save the Voes which are enjoyed by all who visit them, raise awareness of Catrine’s historic importance, attract visitors and contribute to local employment. Water power, the renewable energy that created Catrine as an 18th century mill town will now kickstart the economic regeneration of 21st century Catrine.

COMMUNITIES ALONG THE CARRON:

In March 2010, the community volunteer group, Communities Along the Carron Association (CATCA) held a public meeting in Falkirk to adopt its constitution and got started with an abundance of energy.   This followed on a 9 month consultancy with C&M Community Consultants LLP, sponsored by the Scottish Government and the European Community, Forth Valley &    Lomond LEADER 2007-2013 Programme, and by Falkirk Council.          

High Priority Goals

To help identify potential projects, the CATCA management committee embarked on a River Carron Study Tour day along the 19.8 miles of the River Carron, starting from the Carron Reservoir and moving through Fankerton, Stoneywood, Dunipace, Denny, Larbert, Camelon, Carronshore, Carron, Steinhousemuir, Bainsford, Langlees, Grangemouth, Bothkennar, Mungal and Skinflats…in order to match up maps and visions with reality.   

Following that, the group held a “pow wow” with various funding agencies to discuss a list of 31 short and long term projects, 15 of them on “high priority” status.  CATCA has begun the process of applying for funding for a website, start up costs, clean ups, feasibility studies, community events and some of the bigger clean up projects along the river and its tributaries.  The long term goal is to ensure that the issues and desires expressed in the 16 community consultations in 2009 are answered in a way that has the long term best interests of the River Carron and its people at heart.  At this time a funded feasibility study is underway and we await final word on large funding to do a professional fly tip clean up along the Carron.  We are also part of the new Falkirk Invasive Species Forum which is seeking funding to clear up the big Japanese Knotweed problem along the river.

First We Clean Up the River…

In 2010, CATCA’s first big initiatives were the April Keep Scotland Beautiful clean ups along the Carron.  In partnership with KSB, Falkirk Council Litter Strategy Team, Community Green Initiative, River Carron  Fisheries Management Group (RCFMG), Church of Jesus Christ of  Latter Day Saints, The Carron Connect Partnership, Forth Estuary Forum, Upper Forth Wild Fowlers Ass’n, CGI, Glenwood TRO and the Criminal Justice Service, clean ups were held in Fankerton, Stoneywood, Dunipace, Denny, Larbert, Grangemouth, Carron, Langlees, Abbotshaugh Community Woodland, Bainsford and Skinflats.  An  estimated 500 bags of litter plus several truckloads of fly tipping metal, household rubbish and commercial rubbish were removed from the paths and from in the water by about 200 volunteers. 

In 2011 we are currently holding the 2nd annual clean up which began mid_march and will end mid-May.  The same groups are involved as last year and the clean ups are going very well, hundreds of bags so far and even the removal of an old bus which was in the Larbert area of the river for 30 years!

River Carron Expo Day

In the Autumn of 2010, CATCA sponsored, along with funding from Falkirk Council’s External Funding Unit (Community Grant Scheme), a “River Carron Expo Day” at the Grangemouth Town Hall.  The event included displays, international speakers and a chance for the public to meet with agencies, experts, knowledgeable volunteers and professionals on such topics as water quality, flood defence, hydro schemes, invasive species, fish ladders, litter and flytipping issues along the Carron.  With over 40 participating agencies and groups, and over 100 attendees, the day was a grand success, leading to many networking successes.

With funding from Awards for All, CATCA now has a website which just launched last week.  Many pages are still in progress but we invite the public to visit us and sign up for updates:  www.catca.org.uk

A full 38-page report with photos on the CAC project is available for viewing by link at the River Regeneration page of Community Green Initiative’s website: www.cgiscotland.org, and the Green Map of the project is also viewable at that site.  
 

DALBEATTIE’S first Spring Fayre, which was held in the town hall on Saturday, proved a big success. Hundreds of residents and some from further afield called in to see what was on offer. More than 35 groups and organisations were represented, with some making a real effort to dress their stands with eye-catching colours and displays. The aim of the event was to promote the wide range of activities and opportunities available in the area and feedback from many of the people who attended suggests that it achieved its aim.

Graham Platt, development manager with Dalbeattie Community Initiative, organised the Spring Fayre.

He said: “I was delighted with the public turnout on the day. The Town Hall was really buzzing. Most of the exhibitors I spoke to had been busy during the day and had received a lot of enquiries whilst the tea and coffee area downstairs was packed out.”

“It was really encouraging to see so many groups together in the same place and a lot of networking took place.”

The organisers are grateful to the Rotary Club of Dalbeattie for sponsoring the event, and to all the clubs and groups who took part as well as all the Initiative volunteers who helped organise the Fayre and assisted on the day. Graham added: “The success of the Spring Fayre gives us great encouragement to make this an annual event to promote all that is good about Dalbeattie. Even though we had 35 groups this year, there were still many that were not represented and I would like to get those involved next time around.”

Earlston

A community day was held on Saturday to showcase the variety of volunteer-led groups in Earlston – and more than 30 of them flocked to the town square. Residents turned out in force to support the event and many were surprised at the number of groups operating in the area.

“I have just moved into the village and it’s great to find out what’s going on,” said one.

For the younger generation the biggest attraction of the day was the mobile pump track organised by the Leader Bike Club. This proved so popular that even Jeremy Purvis MSP couldn’t resist having a go.  “The day has proven to be a great success and I have been amazed at the number of groups running in the village. It was a fantastic day for raising awareness, meeting new people and getting involved with your community,” commented Mags Powell, chair of Earlston Community Development Trust.

Health professionals estimate our ageing population requires the construction of a new hospital every 18 months. That cannot be afforded – and it should not even be contemplated. Margaret Thatcher once said money in the NHS should follow the patient. 40 years later the patient still follows the money. And the money is locked up in hospitals. It’s a terrible Catch 22 – the same kind that kept people with mental illness inside institutions or locked up in jail.

In 2005 the Kerr Report tried to break out of this vicious circle by switching cash from hospital provision to ambulatory care centres – local outpatient units. Lanarkshire was one of the first to attempt the switch and to fund it, one of three fully staffed A&Es in the area would be closed. But which one? The choice was coloured by a political reality.

Senior health professionals agree funding needs to be turned on its head. But which politician has the courage to remove £800 million from hospital budgets and risk the wrath of local voters to make local health care investments which may not visibly yield dividends for a decade? Hospitals are tangible. Services that help diabetics stay out of hospital are not. And yet 40 per cent of people aged 75 or over live with at least two such long term conditions. Audit Scotland projects a rise in the over-75 age group of 75 per cent by 2031, a rise in COPD (respiratory problems) sufferers of 33 per cent and a rise in patients with dementia of 75 per cent.

How will society cope? A solution may lie in housing and community care – not in health. Take Whitlawburn. In 1988, Glasgow Council was given £6.6 million to refurbish this run-down estate on its southern outskirts. West Whitlawburn had hard-to-fix high rise flats. So the council spent the repair money instead on the easier-to-fix low-rise blocks of East Whitlawburn. Outraged, the tenants’ association in the West opted out and set up a co-operative to own, improve and manage their 540 homes. Phil Welsh MBE chaired the first Co-operative; “People fae miles away sit on a Housing Association Board. Only folk fae the neighbourhood sit on a Housing Co-operative. It was an opportunity to do things for ourselves.”

Personal contact replaced distant bureaucracy. Dampness, security and renovation were made priorities. All homes were refurbished, an old school was turned into a healthy living centre and a team of concierges was hired to monitor 28 external and 185 internal CCTV cameras and 70 homes fitted with alarms. Elderly, disabled or vulnerable tenants can buzz down to the concierge base if they’re lonely, frightened or ill, and can have a chat, a basic health check or a cup of tea with company – even in the middle of the night.

Eleven deaths have been averted by swift responses from the camera/concierge team. The Co-op refuses to turn its health success into cash savings.

But they know higher-than-average management costs must be defended in straitened times. So they’ve produced social accounts instead which list the ways in which a well managed, self regulating community protects dignity and saves cash.

The West Whitlawburn Housing Co-operative is the salvation of its tenants and the envy of its council neighbours. It’s also the saviour of local A&E departments – including Monklands. And yet healthcare is not a formal part of housing’s remit.

Two reports will land on the new health minister’s desk in June demanding change. Campbell Christie and Sir John Arbuthnot will both report on better delivery of public services. It’s likely both will back self-management against hospitalisation – and hospital wards will have to close to finance such a shift.

Scottish politicians have just six weeks left to tell voters otherwise. Prepare for U-turns aplenty.

The organisers of a major north-east maritime festival are confident they can clinch a deal to take control of a caravan park from Aberdeenshire Council.

Negotiations are under way between the local authority and the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival group at Portsoy about the town’s seaside site. It is one of 11 caravan parks in Aberdeenshire the council wants to offload at the end of this summer to save money.

Festival chairman Roger Goodyear revealed that meetings to discuss a long lease have taken place already between the two parties. He said: “These meetings have been productive and we are now developing a business plan. We have looked at the figures for the site, done some calculations and we are confident this site can more than wash its face.”

The popular site has more than 30 stances for static vans, tourers and tents. Mr Goodyear said the festival group regarded controlling the park as a logical extension of current activities.

He said: “It fits in with our plans for the nearby Salmon Bothy where we are looking to develop a catering facility. It would also tie in with our boatbuilding and restoration plans at the harbour. We think it is a terrific caravan site and a major feature of the town.”

The group’s interest in the site mirrors that of the Banff and Macduff Community Trust for the Banff Links park. The trust has obtained financial details for the links site and will study them before reaching a decision. In 2009-10, the 11 sites controlled by Aberdeenshire Council ran with an operating deficit of £64,000.

Last month, councillors decided to offer them on long leases to community organisations or private sector operators. If that strategy fails, the council may consider trying to sell the sites. The local authority will run the sites this summer, but hopes deals to offload them can be completed by October.

In August 2010 Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society supported by the Glasgow Allotments Forum (GAF) was awarded a grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund to research and record the history and stories of Allotments and Community Gardens in Glasgow.

Why did we get a grant?

Allotments and community gardens are part of Glasgow’s culture and heritage, they are rooted in the land, the politics, industry and the people.  The land owners included the Maxwells, the Campbells, the Corporation and the Railways.  All kinds of people from different backgrounds and cultures – including labourers, judges, teachers, firemen – cultivate plots.  In the second world war we grew leeks, kale and potatoes, today we also grow exotic vegetables and flowers.  Our huts reveal the creativity, skill and ingenuity of our community. But….

There is no permanent record of this history.  We need to record it for ourselves and for future generations.

What are we doing?  Volunteers – plot-holders, members of the local community, schools, playgroups – are working together to preserve and record our Glasgow heritage by:

• Exploring estate documents, minutes, newspaper articles, photos, event records, maps
• Recording the stories of plot holders, their families and friends – capturing the wellbeing, the social importance and the passion for their plots.
• Developing and sustaining this web site to ensure the project continues

We will produce leaflets for at least 10 sites and share information through a Spring Event and a community launch in the Autumn.

Today, 130 projects have been announced as the latest community initiatives to receive awards totalling over £8 million from the Climate Challenge Fund (CCF).

Since 2008, 345 communities the length and breadth of Scotland have received a share of the £37.7 million made available under the popular CCF initiative to help reduce their carbon footprint.
Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Roseanna Cunningham today announced the 130 successful projects. Successful applications include:

• The Tarland Development Group will complete the Tarland to Aboyne Cycle Path in Aberdeenshire. Completion of the cycle path will enable Tarland residents to safely cycle the six miles to Aboyne to use the many facilities in the town reducing car use and consequently reducing the local ‘Carbon Footprint’. This project is awarded £84,860
• The Balanced Bountiful Buckhaven programme creates a platform for transforming this community into a more self-reliant transition town. The programme seeks progressive reductions in carbon emissions through mobilising local volunteers and groups to promote energy efficiency, grow local food and enhance waste collection and recycling. This project is awarded £74,940
• The new Housing Association working in Bridgeton in the east end of Glasgow is leading the way in demonstrating how putting people at the heart of local decision-making can reduce carbon emissions. Bridgeton Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) will enhance the energy efficiency of local housing by helping residents to better manage their energy use and reduce their fuel bills. This project is awarded £95,420

Ms Cunningham said: “The Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) continues to inspire communities all over Scotland and underlines the nation-wide commitment to reduce our carbon footprint and meet our carbon reduction targets. Since CCF launched, it has attracted huge interest and I am delighted that our decision to extend the initiative into 2011-12 has encouraged so many high quality applications. CCF really does help communities to act on their desire to do more to enhance the environment and develop our low carbon economy. CCF has empowered 345 communities since 2008 to tackle their carbon emissions at local level. I have found it truly inspiring during my visits to several CCF funded projects to see community spirit in action, tackling climate change from the grass-roots up.”

Simon Pepper, OBE – CCF Grants Panel Chair said: “These exciting projects illustrate the high level of commitment to tackling climate change in communities throughout Scotland. They show just how strongly people feel and how keen they are to make a difference in their own locality. Their example is simply inspirational.”

Full list of projects to receive funding under round eight of the Climate Challenge FundGreen projects get £600,000 boost:

Full list of Climate Challenge Fund projects receiving funding:

• Carluke Development Trust, South Lanarkshire – £22,980
• Bute Community Land Company, Argyll & Bute – £41,000
• Edinburgh Community Energy Co-operative, City of Edinburgh – £50,145
• Lochgoilhead Community Development Trust, Argyll & Bute – £32,701
• Golspie Community Power, Highlands – £43,600
• Applecross Community Company, Highlands – £57,600
• Isle of Kerrera Development Trust, Argyll & Bute – £41,000
• Paisley West & Central Community, Renfrewshire – £21,087
• Kilmadock Development Trust, Stirling – £23,100
• TraM (Transition Mearns), Aberdeenshire – £26,536
• Bannockburn Community Trust Ltd, Stirling – £20,000
• Stewarton Community Allotments Society, East Ayrshire – £14,750
• Midlothian Voluntary Action, Midlothian – £13,013
• Forfar Dramatic Society, Angus – £18,582
• Birse Community Trust, Aberdeenshire – £11,650
• Healthy Roots Ltd (Aberdeen), Aberdeenshire – £20,000
• Mallaig and Morar community centre association, Highlands – £14,659
• Kilmaurs Community Council, East Ayrshire – £25,000
• Strachur Memorial Hall Committee, Argyll & Bute – £7,500
• North Uist Development Company, Western Isles – £10,000
• PUT Community Co-operative, Aberdeenshire – £4,580
• Kibble Education and Care Centre, Renfrewshire – £30,538
• Carn Dearg Mountaineering Club, Angus – £12,886
• Edzell Village Improvement Society, Angus – £1,900
• Killearn Community Futures Company, Stirling – £5,000