Information about this year’s Community Land Week’s events can be found here.
This year’s Community Land Week – Scotland’s national celebration of community landowners – will be bigger and better than ever with three times as many events as in 2018. From the 10th to the 18th August, almost 50 communities, from Orkney and John O’ Groats in the North to the Mull of Galloway in the South, will open their doors – or gates – to people interested in learning about community landownership.
Land Reform Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “I am delighted to see such a significant increase in the number of groups that will take part in this year’s Community Land Week, celebrating the vital role that community ownership plays in our society.
“I would urge everyone to take the opportunity to find out more about the land and buildings that have been acquired in their area, what’s been achieved, and how they can get involved in projects to support their local community.”
The Fernaig Trust in Wester Ross, which bought 110 acres of land to create allotments and smallholdings for people living in the community, will be taking part for the second time. Trust Chair, Colin McAndrew said: “Last year’s Community Land Week gave the Fernaig Trust the perfect opportunity for the official opening of our newly-completed 1.7km footpath. We all had a great day, which was also our 20th birthday, and established duck racing as a new village ‘tradition’. It’s good to feel part of a wider national series of events and we are looking forward greatly to taking part again this year”.
The community owned land and buildings that can be visited during the Week include community-owned estates and forests, a water mill, remediated urban land, housing, community centres and hubs, land to be used for an eco-friendly cemetery, renewable energy projects, a former RAF base, a loch and even the old Skye Bridge Toll Office.
Linsay Chalmers, Development Manager with Community Land Scotland said “we are delighted that so many communities are taking part in Community Land Week this year. We see the benefits that community landownership brings to Scotland on a daily basis, so we would encourage anyone with an event taking place in their area to go along and be inspired”.
Information on all of the events can be found on the Community Land Scotland web site.