19 October 2024 * 10:00 am - 3 November 2024 * 4:00 pm
Celebrating Community Landowners Across Scotland
18 October – 3 November 2024
A giant’s chair in south-west Mull, a debate about the possible merits of old-style land-raids, and lunch with The Hebridean Baker in Lewis – a few highlights in dozens of events celebrating community ownership and innovation across Scotland.
Community Land Festival highlights community-owned enterprises across Scotland. The celebrations started in 2018 as one week of events. But with growing interest and demand for community ownership, it has expanded to a fortnight-long festival running this year from October 18 to November 3.
While much of the country is caught up in economic gloom and cost-of-living issues, Scotland’s 600 community-owned developments are often seen as beacons of local energy and innovation and optimism.
As part of the celebrations, a community in Mull is opening a new Nature Trail complete with a ten-foot high Giant’s Chair, designed by local kids and adults from timber grown in the community-owned Tiroran forest.
This involved the kids and the adults and the sawmill which we run. It had a fantastic sense of the community working together. I think community-owned land empowers people to do things. We are very aware of the general doom and gloom about the economy and we face that as well. But perhaps people in rural areas have always had to be resourceful in the past because there is more to overcome. I think a lot of that resourceful attitude carries through to the present day community ownership where people are resilient and do get stuck in.
Urban Scotland – especially Glasgow and Inverclyde – has seen a huge surge in interest in community ownership with around 100 projects getting underway in the last six years.
GalGael in Govan are asking radical questions to mark this year’s Community Land Festival, with a discussion on ‘Where have all the raiders gone’.
They point out that 150 years ago, land was raided illegally, with communities often seizing property they felt they had earned through hard-work and, often, through military service. The question will be the subject of debate at 15 Fairley Street, Glasgow.
While GalGael are promoting important discussion, other groups are opting for community open days and a chance to show off new woodland walks or Vegetable Gardens or to get scared at various Halloween celebrations including in the spooky woods of Glengarry.
A number of festival events involve brand new facilities or exhibitions. Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn in Lewis sees a celebration of the opening of na Dorsan monument and exhibition, a structure designed by renowned artists Will Maclean and Marian Leven to commemorate 100 years since the resettlement of Galson village.
Participation and Reach
This year, 31 groups hosted events, drawing 3,083 attendees and supported by 327 volunteers and staff. A total of £7,500 was distributed in bursaries to help groups deliver their events. Each group was supported with printed posters and flyers to promote their activities locally, alongside a template press release and national and regional PR coverage.
Groups were also asked to rate the support they received from Community Land Scotland on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the best). Across all responses, the average score was an outstanding 4.6.
Read more about the individual events by clicking through the links below.
Community Land Festival Events 2024
30 events found.
25 October 2024 - 27 October 2024
Woolfords, Auchengray and Tarbrax Improvement Foundation Art Exhibit
31 October 2024 * 12:00 am - 3 November 2024 * 12:00 am
