What We Do
Community Action Lanarkshire is a programme managed by the Rural Development Trust offering support for rural communities across rural North and South Lanarkshire with community-led action plans and to build and grow projects.
Our vision is that community decisions will be made for each place, in that place, by the people who live there. Communities will work together towards a common purpose, where the focus is on local people-led action.
Community Action Lanarkshire will help build your community’s ability to develop, fund and deliver projects to improve local lives for generations to come. The Rural Development Trust has secured funding from a range of sources to take forward the following projects working with communities in North and South Lanarkshire.
- The National Lottery Community Fund is supporting the Rural Development Trust from 2020 to 2023 to help communities in Harthill, Plains, Caldercruix, Upperton, Greengairs, Sandford, Carstairs Junction and Kirkfieldbank take forward their newly created local action plans. Elaine Richardson is leading on this project.
- The North Lanarkshire Rural Heritage Programme, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, also runs from 2020 to 2023. With the support of a heritage plan, a heritage officer and a small grants scheme, communities in Caldercruix, Greengairs, Harthill, Plains and Upperton will lead the protection, enjoyment and use of heritage as a tool for regeneration. Kirsten Robb is leading on this project.
- Active Travel - Sarah O'Sullivan is leading on this project
- Make Your Way 2020/21 is an active travel mapping, signage and wayfinding project focussing on Carstairs Junction, Coalburn and Coulter. Primary school workshops and community activities are taking place in these communities as part of the project, as well as Abington, Carstairs, Douglas, Kirkfieldbank, Rigside and Leadhills. It is funded by Paths for All Smarter Choices Smarter Places, South Lanarkshire Council Renewable Energy Fund and Rural Development Trust. This year's project follows on from previous projects in; Abington, Crawford and Elvanfoot, Crawfordjohn, Douglas, Glespin, Lamington, Leadhills and Rigside (2019/20); Hamilton, Larkhall and Quarter to Chatelherault Country Park (2017/18); Carluke, Glassford, Lanark, Larkhall and Stonehouse (2016/17).
- Make Your Way - Key Links is an ambitious new active travel project which aims to enable communities in Abington, Leadhills, Douglas and Wanlockhead to link up with nearby settlements and services. It is funded by Sustrans Places for Everyone programme. A Feasibility Study is being developed until March 2021. It is anticipated that more detailed designs will be created in 2021/22, with construction set to take place from 2022.
The above projects follow on from the Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership (CAVLP) project supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund 2012-2018 and Community Action Lanarkshire (CAL) project supported by Lanarkshire Leader 2018-2020. This website and associated social media channels have been developed from existing CAVLP accounts. Please search within these pages for more information about CAVLP and CAL, including exploring the online museum, trails, news and resources.
Gordon Muir
As Manager, Gordon is responsible for managing the delivery of the Community Action Lanarkshire programme by overseeing the development and delivery of community focussed projects.
Get in touch with Gordon at
Elaine Richardson
Elaine joined the team in October 2019 and is currently the Project Officer for the Community Action Lanarkshire programme to support rural communities with the delivery of their Community Action Plan. The communities are; Caldercruix, Greengairs, Harthill, Plains and Upperton in North Lanarkshire and Carstairs Junction, Kirkfieldbank and Sandford and Upper Avondale in South Lanarkshire.
She is an architect who began her career in practise in Glasgow before moving to local authority to undertake a range of town centre regeneration and community projects where she worked closely with community organisations and local residents. In 2018 she moved to the third sector and worked on a mentoring programme providing capacity building and support to community groups across Scotland.
Get in touch with Elaine at
Dave Graham
Dave joined the team in August 2022 and is currently Active Travel Project Officer leading on Community Action Lanarkshire’s current Make Your Way programme activities in Blackwood, Boghead, Kirkmuirhill and Lesmahagow and the Leadhills to Wanlockhead Active Travel pathway project.
Dave has been working in the environmental sector for nearly 30 years and before Community Action Lanarkshire he was providing business development and fundraising support, through the pandemic, to a Falkirk based Outdoor Education Charity. Prior to this he spent 17 years with a large environmental charity, working with a range of partners across Scotland to develop green health and well-being, employability and schools’ programmes.
Further back in time he has worked for a sustainable rural communities project in Dumfries and Galloway, been a Team Leader with the Princes Trust in Govan and a Countryside Ranger with East Kilbride District Council. Working with and within communities and making it easier for people of all ages and abilities to be more active outdoors has always played a big part in his life.
Away from Community Action Lanarkshire Dave enjoys hillwalking and exploring new places with his family.
Get in touch with Dave at
Catherine Tweedie
Catherine joined the team in May 2022 with experience in operations and project managment within the Tourism Sector. She is responsible for providing support to the Community Action Lanarkshire team to assist in the delivery of projects.
Catherine's success is down to her ability to develop good working relationships with colleagues and wider stakeholders and is always on the lookout for positive solutions to any problems that may arise.
Catherine is an active memeber in her local community, sitting on both the Community Council and Community Development Trust. She is a keen hillwalker and enjoys exploring new places with her family!
Get in touch with Catherine at