Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in 2017 and was the worst natural disaster to hit the island in recorded history.The power grid was completely destroyed leaving millions without electricity. In the absence of any other government assistance, a group of survivors in one of the towns – Caguas – began a community kitchen to help … Continue reading Grass Roots Resilience
Scotland The Brave
Corporate capture?
Anyone who has even vaguely followed the fracking debate in Scotland over the last few years could be forgiven for thinking that the Scottish Government had come down on the side of an outright ban. Turns out that what some understood to be a solid ‘No’ is in fact a ‘no-support planning policy’. Whatever that … Continue reading Corporate capture?
Bank Backs Sector
It’s not unusual to read that the many problems we face in society today are linked to a chronic underinvestment in the institutions of civil society. What is unusual is when the person delivering that critique is the Chief Economist of the Bank of England. In a wide ranging speech on the impact of the … Continue reading Bank Backs Sector
Recording community ownership
It was suggested that someone might consider mapping the growth of community ownership of assets around Scotland. A couple of eager beaver consultants got back in touch to register an interest. Rumour has it the folk from the Community Land Team in Scottish Government say that they’re working on something very similar, and that we … Continue reading Recording community ownership
European funds at risk
EU auditors have suspended payments on the £22m that Scotland receives from the European Social Fund due to concerns over the programme’s management. Unease around the internal systems that were being designed for the European Social Fund stretches back to when the original rules for the management of the programme were being drafted. Advice from … Continue reading European funds at risk
Volunteering Trends in Scotland
To better understand the volunteering landscape in Scotland, we have completed a time series analysis of the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) from 2007 – 2017. https://www.slideshare.net/VolunteerScotland/volunteering-in-scotlandscottish-household-survey-2007-2017-summary-report-updated-jan-2019 Download Summary Report (PDF) We know that volunteering contributes to Scotland’s economic and social prosperity: more than 1.2 million people volunteered last year and contributed an estimated £2.26 billion … Continue reading Volunteering Trends in Scotland
Fish farms caught short
There must be some good news stories about salmon farming but to come across one is like finding a unicorn. The following is much more typical of the reports that are coming out of this ever-expanding industry. So it’s not surprising that many coastal communities are on high alert when fish farm companies come calling with plans … Continue reading Fish farms caught short
