Community capacity building project launches
Community Action Lanarkshire is a new project offering support for rural communities in North and South Lanarkshire.
The project works with communities to deliver community-led action plans, free training and to build and grow projects, which will benefit local areas for generations to come.
The Rural Development Trust managed programme is funded by LEADER until September 2020. The Community Action Lanarkshire area includes the North Lanarkshire communities of Shotts, Allanton, Harthill, Plains, Caldercruix, Upperton, Longriggend and Greengairs, and the South Lanarkshire communities of Leadhills, Crawford, Abington, Glespin, Douglas, Rigside, Crawfordjohn, Forth, Lesamahagow, Kirkfieldbank, Blackwood, Kirkmuirhill, Stonehouse, Carstairs Junction, Tarbrax and Wolfords.
The team will work with communities to initiate new or refresh existing community-led action plans. The importance of robust plans is being increasingly recognised as a key way to build local democracy and encourage active citizenship – demonstrating the need for different services and facilities, and accessing funds in order to do so.
Where community-led action plans exist, support will be given in driving forward projects. This can include support to set up as a constituted group, identifying funding sources and training opportunities, and drafting business plans, project proposals, funding applications and procurement documents.
FREE training will also be available for community groups in Administration and Finance, Event promotion, Interpretation planning, Press and PR, Project Management and Evaluation, and Social Media and Digital training.
Community Action Lanarkshire Programme Manager Kirsten Robb says, “This programme is all about supporting communities to deliver priorities that local people identify together. In so doing, the programme will help revive community life, tackle inequality, keep money in the local economy, improve the environment and create new opportunities for learning, jobs and play. It will build your community’s ability to develop, fund and deliver projects to improve local lives now and into the future. We look forward to hearing from local groups about their projects and ideas – please get in touch.”
The programme follows on from the £4.6 million Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership (CAVLP) which was supported by Heritage Lottery Fund between 2012 and 2018. The CAVLP team bring the experience of supporting the delivery of 68 community focussed projects ranging from access projects to greenspace management, to wild play and education initiatives, historical research and training and volunteering programmes.
Find out more about what Community Action Lanarkshire can do for your community by clicking the 'About' menu item above, or contacting the Community Action Lanarkshire team directly at