The deadline for responding to the Scottish Rural Network's LEADER survey has been extended to midnight on 3 March.

How can the Scottish Rural Network Support Unit support LEADER Local Action Groups and Fisheries Local Action Groups in the coming year? Share your views and ideas by taking part in the short survey.

The National Working Groups, which were discussed at the Coordinators meeting have been finalised.

The following LAGs will sit on each of the groups:

A member of the Scottish Rural Network will be in touch to arrange the first meeting with each of the groups.

If you have any queries please contact Calum Couston by emailing calum.couston@ayrshire-leader.com.

You can contact the LEADER team by emailing Leader.Queries@gov.scot or calling 0131 244 9852 .

Moray LEADER is now up and running with new Programme Manager Norman MacAskill in post and the rest of the team taking up their jobs shortly. The formal launch date for the programme is still to be confirmed but will probably be in early April. Moray LEADER is unique in Scotland in that the Accountable Body is tsiMoray, the respected and well-connected local Third Sector Interface.

The next Expression of Interest deadline for Dumfries and Galloway LEADER is 15 March for the June decision-making round.

Contact the Team on 01387 260028 or visit www.ruralnetwork.scot/funding/leader to submit your Expression of Interest.

Connecting Scotland is running an introductory ‘Groundwork’ workshop on 24 April, which your Local Action Group might be interested in participating in.

The workshop aims to help participants lay the groundwork for working collaboratively to achieve shared outcomes. Similar workshops have already been run in Denmark and Australia, with very positive results. This is an exciting opportunity to participate as it is the first time it will have been run in Scotland. 

Further information, including the cost and link to register, by downloading the flyer below.

4 May 2017 | Glasgow

This is a great opportunity to network with a wide range of staff involved with delivering funding to communities. Our friends at Big Lottery Fund Scotland are organising this event and more than twenty funders have already expressed an interest in attending. 

The plan is to include a wide range of short discussion forums during the day as well as networking opportunities.

Ideas for discussion topics have been requested and suggestions so far include:

• supporting the rural economy
• capacity building support for grant holders
• opportunities to work more closely - match funding, communications, monitoring

There is space for up to two representatives from LEADER LAGs to attend this event. If you would like to attend, please email jody@ruralnetwork.scot by 13 March.

Digital Tourism Scotland are holding a series of workshops that may be of interest to LEADER applicants. You can find more information in our events calendar.

9-11 May 2017 | Luxembourg

The aim of the annual LINC seminar is to gather people together from across Europe who are interested in rural development to exchange ideas with each other.

The international LINC organisation welcomes members of LEADER groups/associations, LEADER board members, members of the National Rural Networks, Management Authorities and Payment Agencies, project staff and all those people who are interested in the topic of rural development.

Information from the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) workshop on social inclusion is now available online.

The 'Social Hubs in Rural Europe' event took place in Brussels on 9 February 2017.

The European Solidarity Corps is the new European Union initiative which creates opportunities for young people to volunteer or work in projects in their own country or abroad that benefit communities and people around Europe.

This may be an opportunity for more young people to be actively involved in LAGs as well as LAG-funded projects

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