Bute Community Land Company
- Bute Community Land Company
The Bute Community Land Company (BCLC) was set up by local people to look after a big area of land and forest at the north end of the island.
Why it exists
Back in 2009, the community voted (over 90% in favour!) to buy a large chunk of land that used to be part of a private estate. Their goal was to:
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Create jobs
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Improve the local environment
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Offer fun and educational activities
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Support tourism
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Give locals more say in how the land is used
What they do
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They manage a community forest, which they are working to make more natural by replacing commercial pine trees with native species like oak and aspen.
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They’ve created wetlands and are removing harmful plants like rhododendron.
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They run forest schools for kids and host community events like mental health walks and craft sessions in the woods.
They also do eco-tourism
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In 2023, they built eco-friendly huts (called Charcoal Huts) that people can rent. These are off-grid cabins in the forest – no electricity or Wi-Fi, just peace and nature.
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The money made helps support the forest and local jobs.
Recognition
They recently won the national award for community regeneration the SURF Award 2024.
