News & Resources

SURF is seeking a part-time Facilitator to support its Alliance for Action programme site of Langholm.

Show your support for your local town or village on Twitter or Instagram using #HIDDENSCOTLAND

History and heritage embody the beautiful country of Scotland. Notorious for its ancient cities and municipalities, brownstone buildings, tartan and bagpipes. But it’s not just the well-known locations such as Edinburgh, the iconic Inverness and the usual Scottish stereotypes that you should explore and indulge in when visiting Caledonia. Scotland is home to over 7000 charming, picturesque and historic towns and villages that each have their own individualities and offerings which make them so special in their own rights. Coastline communities with cute harbours, small villages tucked at the foot of crags, towns enclosed by lush fauna and flora, Scotland has everything to offer.

The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership have published their annual report for the year from 1^st April 2017 to 31^st March 2018.

The aim for the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP) is to encourage private sector empty properties back into
use. They do this in a number of ways: offering advice to individual owners; supporting a network of empty homes
practitioners in councils and other bodies; and developing policy and practice ideas.

Over the last year, the Partnership has overseen 742 homes brought back into use, bringing the total to 3216 since the
Partnership was set up in 2010-11.

The second Grimsey Review on Town Centres has been published today (4 July) with a series of 25 key recommendations to reshape the UK's High Streets. 

Scotland's Towns Partnership heard from two of the authors, Bill Grimsey, ex-CEO of Wickes, Iceland and Focus DIY and Author of 'Sold Out: Who Really Killed the High Street' and Matthew Hopkinson, co-founder, Didobi, at our recent Towns Tea Party and Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh on 25 June. 

A national design competition inviting people to submit innovative ideas for positive change in their town or city neighbourhood has been launched today.

Zero Waste Scotland - Communities will be able to bid for a share of up to £500,000 from Zero Waste Scotland to reduce single-use plastics that blight their areas.

Zero Waste Scotland - The Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) provides grants and support for community-led organisations to tackle climate change by running projects that reduce local carbon emissions.

Betting shop staff in Dunoon have won national recognition for their fundraising and volunteering work in the local community.

Now in its fourth year, Scotland’s Towns Partnership and the Cross Party Group on Towns and Town Centres are encouraging MSPs to take a day during Parliamentary Recess to visit towns in their constituency or region as part of the MSP Connector Programme.

Come along to network with STP and other town stakeholders over tea and cake, and hear about the latest developments and opportunities for Scotland’s towns and city neighbourhoods.

Scottish Government - Communities will be able to decide how best they can tackle poverty and inequalities in their own area backed by a £20 million fund.

Social Enterprise Scotland - We are delighted to announce the launch of the Social Enterprise Awards Scotland 2018!

Over £90 million is to be invested in Stirling and Clackmannanshire through an ambitious UK City Region Deal which aims to use infrastructure to drive economic growth across the region.

The Minister for Transport and The Islands, Humza Yousaf, announced the new Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) Open Fund at this year’s Active Travel Conference in Perth.

The Open Fund was announced as an exciting expansion of Paths for All’s existing SCSP programme, which has enabled Scottish local authorities to implement active and sustainable travel behaviour change programmes over the past 4 years.

This new £2million funding will be available for public, community and third sector organisations that want to change people’s everyday travel behaviour. The grants will be between £5000 and £50,000 and will require to be match funded.

Essential Edinburgh - An overwhelming majority of city centre businesses have voted to support the area’s successful Business Improvement District – with a whopping 91% backing the five-year plan put forward by the BID company Essential Edinburgh.