Case Studies

Raasay community woodlands exchange

This was an open exchange to allow our community to hear the experience of community ownership of woodlands.

woodland with a small stream surrounded by tall trees

Exploring opportunities and constraints related to community ownership of woodlands was an important learning point.

Learning Outcomes

  • The Raasay community is more informed about community management/ownership of woodlands
  • The Raasay community is more informed about the options available to them with respect to our local woodlands.
  • The Raasay community is supported to make an informed decisions on the future management of local woodlands.

Community Organisation:
Sleat Community Trust

Exchange Host Partners:
Raasay Development Trust

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Community Woodlands Association

“The exchange has influenced the decision to purchase an electric tipper truck for our current wood fuel processing and delivery service. The information taken away from the learning exchange will be discussed as at Raasay Roundtable event where we will decide on next steps.”

A large group of people sitting outside a community building
a person in front a shelves with a range of items from glassware, vases and
A large group of people standing outside two large polytunnels.
a person in a green space with grass, trees and planters, and houses in the background, rolling a wheelbarrow full of dirt/grass.
A carved wooden bench

Case Studies

Aberdeen social enterprise cafés

Lar are embarking on a new venture in three of its developments, with plans to open café in each location.

three people, smiling, standing outside a shop called the Bread Maker

These cafés will be based on a social enterprise business model and the visit to Aberdeen was very helpful in terms of how to get such an operation off the ground.

Learning Outcomes

  • To learn from the experience of the host on how to design, develop and maintain a successful cafe operation using a social enterprise model.
  • To learn from the host on how to target their customers.
  • To learn from the host about the impact and the benefits they bring to their community by providing such a service, and seek their views on what they would change (if anything) when setting up the business.

Community Organisation:
Lar Housing Trust

Exchange Host Partners:
The Bread Maker Café

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Social Enterprise Scotland

“We hope to replicate many of the things the Breadmaker Café has in place. As a social enterprise model, the Breadmaker Café is the gold standard. We were able to gain an understanding of every aspect of setting up and running a catering operation which, like many struggled post-Covid.”

Case Studies

Zero waste for people and planet

Looking at how to increase social enterprise impact not for profit model through zero waste for people and planet- refill not landfill!

a close up of bottles of seeds, oats, flour, rice and other unidentifiabl food items

Learning Outcomes

  • Increasing customer footfall
  • Deciding whether setting up supply arrangements with local businesses should be a key focus
  • Where to target time and investment

Community Organisation:
Kintyre Weigh

Exchange Host Partners:
Handam Refill Shop

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Inspiralba

“Our average spend per customer is the same as Handam, but their footfall is greater. We realised that working on setting up supply arrangements with local businesses will not be a s worth our time as just getting more regular customers.”

People watching a fashion show with models lined up on a flight of stairs.
A large group of people sitting outside a community building
four people with hi vis jackets on sitting on a wall in front a sign Culduthel Community Woods
A birds eye view of a community garden, with raised beds and polytunnels for food growing,

Case Studies

Cairngorms National Park exchanges

Six exchanges were offered in the Badenoch and Strathspey area of the Cairngorms National Park.

people sitting around a table listening to a person speak. The table has a board game on it surrounded by paperwork, glasses and jugs of water

45 community activists with an interest or already involved in community tourism. Each host provided talks and/or tours showcasing projects, funding packages, operational models, staff resourcing and key lessons learned.

Learning Outcomes

  • Gain a better appreciation of what others are achieving under the chosen theme, the operational models they use and solutions they have found to different challenges
  • Learn about what others have done in response to covid and recovery, the issues they have faced and the opportunities they have seized
  • Develop and apply learnings that are relevant to circumstances

Community Organisation:
SCOTO network members

Exchange Host Partners:
Discovery Centre - Hostel and dark Skies Park, Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust, Aviemore and Glenmore Trust, Strathspey Community Connxions, Strathspey Railway association, Badaguish Outdoor Centre & Speyside Trust

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
SCOTO community Tourism Network

Case Studies

Campy Growers at Bamff

Bamff philosophy is “We face a crisis unprecedented in the history of human civilisation, with climate change and biodiversity loss accelerating around the globe”.

Seven people, listening to a person, standing in long grass in a woodland area

“The biodiversity crisis in the UK is happening at one of the fastest rates in the world. At Bamff, we are doing all we can to create wildlife habitat – to restore nature’s abundance and to sequester carbon.”  Since Campy Growers started the aim is to do with producing local and ethically grown food, lock up carbon and create a community around the project.

Learning Outcomes

  • Increase knowledge about native plants and wildlife in an ecosystem context and replicating it at Campy when possible
  • Make this knowledge accessible to other volunteers, staff and visitors but setting up signs and informative documents on site (wildlife habitat, native plants, impact of invasive plants …)
  • Educate visitors by organising workshops (with the support of a naturalist) on site to identify what our soil and site are made off and how to improve them

Community Organisation:
Campy Growers

Exchange Host Partners:
Bamff Wild Beavers group

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
GetGrowing Scotland

“Our next task is to get a baseline of what’s already there. It could be a case of recording plants, insects in a log with volunteers. We also plan to keep a photo library. Delivering workshops will be key to spreading the word about biodiversity and how you can support it, through bog gardens, pond and wild flower meadows.”

Case Studies

Thurso Community Pantry

This learning exchange allowed both organisations to gain more knowledge about Community Pantries, sharing food, and growing food in rural communities.

Two peopel standing outside a building that has wood on the walls, with two doors and red roof

The benefit to Thurso will be a successful Community Pantry which is a development of existing Sharing Shed, with additional support to the community eg advice. This will also allow staff from both organisations to meet and make links – although this is a neighbouring organisation it is some distance away.

Learning Outcomes

  • To learn about the operational running and management of a Community Pantry
  • To learn what additional activities around the Pantry have been of most benefit to the community, eg cooking lessons, advice sessions etc
  • To share our knowledge of community growing with the KoS project

Community Organisation:
Thurso Community Development Trust

Exchange Host Partners:
Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
DTAS

“On the journey home we spent most it planning our project, incorporating some of what we had seen in Ardgay, but also what we would adapt to suit our area and circumstances.”

Case Studies

Food growing in the North East

The Northeast has a very different geographical, economic and cultural landscape to the central belt.

picture of inside a greenhouse with planters

To connect with other similar organisations and see what they are doing, the challenges they encounter and information share.

Learning Outcomes

  • How health and wellbeing is supported by local community food growing, training, cooking sessions, outdoor activities and supply of accessible produce
  • Meeting volunteers and the importance of lived experience for understanding community needs
  • Working within organisation capacity and developing collaborative, cohesive relationships within the community and other 3rd sector partners.

Community Organisation:
The Haven in Stonehaven

Exchange Host Partners:
The MAXwell Centre, Campy Growers, Transition Dundee

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Social Enterprise Scotland

“Community food growing in Dundee is miles ahead of what the NE has experienced with the application of council local food policy initiatives and council driven infrastructure.”

Case Studies

Eigg Electric and off grid communities

Off grid communities had a lot to share on how energy systems are managed.

picure loooking out of a boat with two orange life rings on the side and water and hills in the background

This include site visits to both the Knoydart hydropower system and the village substation, Millbrun Filed and observing the transformer data collection. Eigg Electric were able to share learning on the unique microgrid of wind, sun and hydro – the opportunities and challenges of this system.

Learning Outcomes

  • Learnings on the sustainable management of microgrid energy systems
  • Opportunities around training programs for operations teams, sharing resourcing and knowledge
  • Importance of retaining essential skills within remote communities
  • Overcoming challenges around specialist equipment and system nuances

Community Organisation:
Eigg Electric

Exchange Host Partners:
Knoydart Renewables

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Circular Communities

“The community learning exchange visit showcased exciting opportunities for future collaboration between Eigg Electric, Knoydart Renewables and their broader communities, highlighting the potential advantages of a wider micro-grid support network- the benefits of which would go beyond these 2 remote communities.”

Case Studies

Regenerative farming network

Visited four different farms run by a farmer in Propagates Regenerative Farmer Network.

one person standing in woodland, speaking, with their arms gesturing

There was a spread of farmers, size of farm, farming background, regenerative practice, time in the network, gender and age.

Learning Outcomes

  • Learn more detail of how the Regenerative farming Network was set up, how it runs and resources that are needed to maintain it
  • Meet with farmer involved in the RFN to hear their experience of being part of the network
  • Glean inspiration, contact and advice from those involved in the RFN to inform how we can best set up a successful RegenAg peer support network in the Highlands.

Community Organisation:
Highland Good Food Partnership

Exchange Host Partners:
Propagate

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Nourish

“The big takeaway is the importance of the network being open to all interested in regenerative farming, and from the start building a non-judgemental culture. It was clear that part of the success is making sure the network is farmer-led… letting it develop organically rather than a predetermined plan put on the mentors.”

Case Studies

Transition from building project to social enterprise

The Old School Thornhill is in its transition phase, from being a building project to running a social enterprise and a development trust.

a room with high ceilings, lighting rig, brickwalls and some furtniture

A SCIO in the very early stages of developing structures.

Learning Outcomes

  • To evaluate current structures and governance to decide how best to structure
  • To consider appropriate staff and salary structures
  • To learn about the pitfalls of this stage of development

Community Organisation:
Old School Thornhill

Exchange Host Partners:
GCat

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Development Trust Association Scotland

“Our exchange with GCat has been extremely beneficial for us. We have decided to mirror the model GCat uses in terms of the development Trust being the over-arching body and our building’s activities being under this umbrella.”