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One week left to register for the LEADER conference

2016 Scottish LEADER Conference: Delivering together

10-12 March 2016 | Macdonald Aviemore Resort | #ScotLEADER16

Registration for the conference closes at 1pm on 4 March so please make sure to register by the deadline.

Visit the online registration page to find out more about the conference and to book your place.

Remember to also let us know if your LAG/FLAG would like to host an exhibition stand in the marketplace during the first two days of the conference.

You can request a stand through the registration page, or for further information email Ann-Marie Meikle at ann-marie@ruralnetwork.scot by 4 March.

Photo courtesy of Angus Findlay.

News from Scottish Government LEADER team
Looking forward to LEADER conference

We are looking forward to attending the LEADER conference next month in Aviemore. The conference will be a great chance for members of our team to hear from those involved in LEADER at this exciting time as we move from design and development into delivery.

LEADER Coordinators meeting

Members of the Scottish Government LEADER team attended the LEADER Coordinators’ meeting in Aberfoyle on 2 and 3 February. We supported a presentation on the various Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) schemes and also gave an update on the LARCs IT system. More information about the SRDP can be found here: https://www.ruralnetwork.scot/funding/scottish-rural-development-programme

In the LARCs update we explained that it will be delivered in phases.  The first phase - which will include the application form – will be rolled out in Spring 2016. This will be followed shortly after by phase 2 which will include claims forms.

Contact the LEADER team

You can contact the LEADER team by emailing Leader.Queries@gov.scot or calling 0131 244 9924.

News from Local Action Groups
Angus LEADER launch

The new LEADER programme for the Angus area was launched at a packed Eassie and Nevay Hall, Balkeerie on 3 February.

Presentation at Eassie and Nevay Hall
Rural Jobs Round Up

In our latest Rural Jobs Round Up you can get information on a part-time Development Officer post at Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER and a European Maritime Fisheries Fund Programme Coordinator for Forth Fisheries Local Action Group.

Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER launch

The new Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER programme launched on 29 January, with £2.78 million of funding to be invested in rural communities across the region.

L to R Stuart Oliver + Carol Beattie from Stirling Council, Anne-Michelle Ketteridge LEADER Manager, Neil Bennie Deputy Leader of the Council, and Peter Sunderland LEADER LAG Chair
News from Scottish Rural Network
Cooperation project photos

The organising team for the Cooperation Cafe at the LEADER conference would like to show some photos of cooperation projects during this session. If you have any images that we can use during the Cooperation Cafe please email to norette@ruralnetwork.scot.

LEADER Communications Workstream

The LEADER Communications Workstream continue to work on the elements of the draft toolkit, to be found at Knowledge Hub.

Delegates taking part in the Communications Workshop at the LEADER conference will have the chance to discuss and amend these.

We ask anyone planning to attend the workshop to please bring along a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) to take part in sessions on social media. A laptop or two will also be available for those who don’t have a smartphone but would like to learn how to tweet.

For further information please contact Chris Bathgate at Chris@ruralnetwork.scot.

World Canals Conference

The World Canals Conference will take place in Inverness from 19-22 September 2016.

The organisers have issued a call for abstracts and would like to hear from experts, professionals or academics who are leading the way in everything from developing innovative methods of water management to driving regeneration in canalside communities.

Caledonian Canal landscape
News from Europe
Latest ENRD newsletter available

The February 2016 edition of the European Network for Rural Development newsletter is now available online.

The newsletter includes links to summaries of Rural Development Programmes from across Europe and information on a workshop on using simplified cost option in LEADER and Community-Led Local Development.

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