All residents of Kirkfieldbank are invited to the launch of the community-led planning process on Thursday 19th March between 6pm and 8pm in the village hall at the school. The event will provide an overview of the project and the different exciting ways local people can get involved. To kick start the process, community and door to door interviews are taking place and artists are working with children in the school to make banners exhibited in the school hall from 4pm onwards. Refreshments showcasing a ‘Taste of the Valley’ with Clyde Valley apple juice and chutney from produce grown at Clydesdale Community Initiatives will also be provided.
Led by local people and taking place between March and June 2020, residents will have the opportunity to express their concerns and future aspirations, resulting in a new Five-Year Community-led Action Plan.
This plan can be used by businesses, local groups, organisations and community members to initiate new projects, unite people around shared goals, bring in funding, and highlight local priorities to the council and politicians. The process is funded by South Lanarkshire LEADER, supported by Community Action Lanarkshire with assistance from icecream architecture.
Ruth McElhinney, Development Officer at Community Action Lanarkshire, said,
“If you live in Kirkfieldbank, please come along and share what matters to you and what you want to do about it. This project launch event gives you the chance to come and meet the current steering group and those supporting the project. We also want to hear your ideas and get a sense of what is important to local residents. If it is something that you feel strongly about, there is still time to join the steering group.”
The plan is just one of many community-led action plans that are being, or have been, created throughout the country. There has been a drive from Scottish Government, connected to the Community Empowerment Act 2015, to encourage community planning at a local level.
It is recognised that the process creates an ambition for the future that is relevant, inclusive and meaningful. It ensures communities can protect and develop what is of greatest value to them, as well as acting as a transformational tool for change. Plans can lead to more