The LEADER programme aims to help innovative, locally driven, bottom-up projects that will support the local community and develop the rural economy.
It is funded by the Scottish Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, as part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme.
Since 2015, Stirling Council has hosted the Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER Team who have been supporting a wide range of community organisations, businesses and farms to prepare projects and applications for funding.
The LEADER programme seeks to help local community and business networks build knowledge and skills, innovate and co-operate in order to tackle local development objectives.
The key objectives and successes for Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER have included:
- The creation of new quality jobs (eg Art4You);
- The safeguarding of jobs (eg Dounans in Aberfoyle);
- Setting up new businesses (eg Our Little Outdoor Classroom in Killearn);
- The creation of new products (eg Coffee roaster at Oak Tree Inn in Balmaha);
- Establish rural business hubs (eg Drymen Community Business Hub);
- Organise area-wide events (eg Scotland’s first Wildfood Festival in September and the Forth Valley Food Festival in October);
- Small-scale infrastructure projects (eg Lochearnhead Railway Path);
- Design and print cycling promotional material (eg Cycle Tourism Marketing project);
- Built sustainable tourism accommodation (eg Ecopods at Loch Katrine); and
- Safeguard community services (eg More than a Post Office in Killin).
The current LEADER programme closes in December 2019 with projects allowed a further twelve months to finish the delivery of their projects.
Convenor of the Finance and Economy Committee, Councillor Margaret Brisley said: “Stirling has a unique geographical spread which covers massive parts of rural Scotland. The work that has been done helping such a large number of projects successfully access the LEADER funding has been a real boost to these areas.
“By supporting ‘bottom up’ grassroots projects and ideas, either for new start-ups or existing businesses taking a new direction, we have been able to achieve community empowerment, giving confidence to a community or business to make something happen which will benefit their wider area.”
Vice Convenor Alison Laurie said: “Through the LEADER programme we have been able to help the economic, environmental and social development of the rural area, all of which are key priorities for the Council.
“There have been numerous benefits that have come through this funding, from creating and safeguarding jobs, to the setting up of businesses, new products and area-wide event, all of which will help rural areas prosper in future.”