The Glenkens & District Community Action Plan published in September 2020 with a roadmap for the whole community over the next 5 years and beyond to improve the life of those who live, work, visit and play here. The overall goal is that ‘the Glenkens and district will be a connected, resilient and carbon neutral place, where people will want to live, work and visit, to bring up their families, and to grow old. It will be somewhere that other places in Scotland will look to for inspiration.’
The plan can be accessed here: https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/media/1132369/Glenkens-Community-Action-Plan-2020.pdf
The first year of the action plan is well under way, which is an implementation phase, creating the foundation on which we will build future aspirations.
Community Enterprise has been appointed to take forward this work with Sleeping Giants. Sleeping Giants are based locally whereas Community Enterprise bring a national perspective. They have been working since September to get things moving in relation to the four thematic areas.
Improving the use of community assets and buildings emerged as a key priority. A meeting has taken place with representatives of many of the local halls and buildings and there is a plan to map what the community has, so that these assets can work together more effectively. There is a huge amount happening with food, from the local Producer Market and Glenkens Food Month, to community owned shops. A project is being funded to start to develop a better and more affordable food ecosystem locally, linking growers, retailers and users in a better way. Young people are a key part of the community and discussion are moving ahead with the design of a bespoke Glenkens youth project. Finally, the support to families that good childcare can bring, in relation to work and learning for example, is an issue locally. A piece of research is being commissioned soon to consider how to develop good and accessible childcare across the Glenkens. And finally, because communication and information is so vital, the Glenkens Gazette themselves have received a small grant to think through improvements and to ensure a broader reach.
One of the most inspiring things though that is being in the planning at the moment is the launch of the first Glenkens Community Summit. Due to covid-19, this event will be virtual but it will be a high profile event, bringing together the whole community, young and old, from all our villages, farms and settlements. Workers with an interest in the area will be very welcome but the focus of this event is the people who live here. There will be an opportunity to hear inspiring stories from elsewhere, to think about the community, its assets and challenges and to influence what the Community Action Plan should focus on going forward.
The event is on the evening of the 2th March at 7pm (the room will be open from 6.30pm)
There will be lots of publicity about the event over the coming weeks but to register for the event, click here or type it into your browser.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkf-iqrT4rEtfjNp8Bs4OvIoFnrW0aIoVt
