annual report 2011 - 2012

Moray Key Priorities P3

A word from the Chairman—Priscilla Gordon-Duff P5

Update from the Programme Manager—David Watson P6

Case studies: P9

Speyside Paths Network Group P11

WDCS P12

Miltonduff Hall Committee P15

Moray Art Centre P16

Film Forres P19

Wild Things! P20

Summary of activities 2011—2012 P22

Approved project summaries P24

Moray LEADER goes international P29

Moray LAG representatives P30

Project photo credits P30

Survey Monkey review P33

Contents

2

Moray Key Priorities

LEADER in Moray focuses on two overarching themes, namely:

Revitalising Communities

Progressive Rural Economy

The priorities the LAG strategy is focusing on are:

Sustainable communities

Sustainable energy

Innovative value added products and markets

Sustainable tourism development

Innovative micro enterprise

Versatile rural workforce

Conservation of the rural environment

3

A word from the Chairman Priscilla Gordon-Duff

Congratulations to everyone who appears in this

Report. The year has been almost breathtaking in

the amount of activity. As you turn the pages you will

see smiling faces, active people of all ages,

wonderful views...all reflecting the impact of the

LEADER Programme during the past year. And,

yes, there have been meetings around tables,

accounts produced, forms completed, emails

galore....all demonstrating the tremendous energy

and enthusiasm within communities across Moray.

This Report aims to let you see just how much

innovative activity the LEADER Programme has

encouraged.

Just as there is a variety of individuals involved in

each application, so there is in the delivery of the

Programme itself:

There is a team of two that directly deliver this varied

Programme....David Watson, Programme Manager

and Mairi McCallum, Programme Co-ordinator.

David’s expertise and immediate availability to

answer applicants’ questions is highly valued by

those who have participated in the Programme.

Mairi only arrived in post in August 2011....and what

a difference she has made. Almost immediately she

was organising a visit by our Transnational Partners

from Sweden, involved in our very successful

relaunch held at Miltonduff Village Hall. By

December she was in Sweden with David and myself

to visit potential projects for co-operation with

projects in Moray.

There is The Scottish Government and delegated

Lead Partner, The Moray Council. By working in

partnership within the Local Action Group they are

leading the way in making a difference to how

people are involved in achieving economic, social

and environmental benefits for the places where they

live and work.

There is the Local Action Group that I chair, whose

members spend hours considering applications.

Their understanding of the variety of people, places

and organisations across Moray plays an important

part in the decision making process and to the

development of the LEADER strategy.

A big thank you to you all: past, present and future.

Together you are all inspiring change and creating

opportunities.

With good wishes

Priscilla

Priscilla Gordon-Duff

5

Update from the Programme Manager David Watson

Albert Einstein defined insanity as ―doing the same

thing over and over again and expecting different

results‖. This definition can also be applied to

persisting with more traditional methods of economic

development.

The LEADER Programme, and the methodology

underpinning it, directly challenges this way of

approaching rural development by ensuring that

innovation is at the heart of every investment made

by the Moray Local Action Group (LAG).

2011 has seen a number of changes in the way the

Moray LAG has delivered LEADER across the rural

areas of Moray.

Operationally there has been a change in staffing.

Lindsay Grant, the original Moray Leader

Programme Coordinator, left her post to

move on to pastures new. I would like to take this

opportunity to thank Lindsay for the contribution she

made to the programme in its infancy.

LEADER now moves onwards with a new member of

staff, Mairi McCallum, who has brought with her

significant experience of the voluntary sector and

has already made a huge contribution to the

programme through her knowledge of marketing and

her invaluable IT and social networking skills.

The value of the staff resource provided by the

Moray Council should not be underestimated. In an

age where most funding applications are completed

and submitted on-line, with the applicant waiting with

fingers crossed for a response, the importance of

having two full-time members of staff at hand to help

navigate your way through the labyrinth of due

diligence cannot be overstated.

Having this resource in place is implicit in effectively

delivering an innovative rural development

programme. It is often stated that LEADER, as an

EU investment programme, is by its nature overly

bureaucratic. However, it must be highlighted that

there is a big difference between bureaucracy and

best practice.

Any organisation that engages with the LEADER

methodology practiced in Moray should come out of

the process a more confident and sustainable

organisation. LEADER is not just about forcing

applicants to ―jump through hoops‖ for the sake of it,

but to leave organisations in a stronger position to

move forward into the future.

Other significant developments during the year

include rebranding the LEADER Programme in

6

Moray to try and spread the message about the

rewards that involvement with LEADER can bring.

This included an event at Miltonduff Village Hall in

October 2011 where we brought together as many

LEADER applicants as possible to network and take

pride in their achievements whilst at the same time

encouraging new applicants to learn about LEADER

and its benefits. The event was attended by over 75

people and the LEADER office has not stopped

working with new projects since.

In the past year the Moray LEADER LAG has

entered into a Transnational Cooperation agreement

with our new friends in Upplandsbygd LAG in Central

Sweden.

Cooperation is another of the key principles of

LEADER and we are already learning from a

different perspective how LEADER is implemented in

another rural area of Europe. For the duration of the

cooperation it is planned to share knowledge, good

practice and ideas, and set up new international

networks. It is hoped that this cooperation will help

participants to be inspired and develop sustainable

projects within their own rural communities.

Over the past year there has also been a significant

advancement in the operation and governance of the

LAG as a rural development organisation. The LAG,

and the programme as a whole, has developed a

strong strategic identity and this will be of

considerable value as we look ahead to the

immediate future, and perhaps more significantly,

the more long-term imbedding of innovative rural

development models into a strong, resilient and

sustainable Moray.

David Watson

Moray LEADER Programme Manager

7

Case studies 9

Speyside Paths Network Group The Mortlach Story Walks

The Speyside Paths Network Group (SPNG) had originally developed a series of linked

pathways through the woodland and countryside surrounding Dufftown, and was looking

for funding to link the pathway infrastructure to other path networks in the wider area.

When the children in Dufftown Primary School

began work on an environmental art project linked

to the John Muir Award, LEADER recognised the

potential for bringing together two projects with

mutual interests.

Phase One was the school project, which was in the

process of creating a range of arts-based

interpretation materials, and which led naturally into

the SPNG path network project, still under

development. All 168 pupils researched the history

and environment of Dufftown, helped by visits from

countryside experts, while a writer, visual artists and

a designer helped the children to develop a variety of

artworks and information materials, including story

walk leaflets. The children participated in recruiting

the arts professionals; they worked to a brief, held

meetings with clients and acted as advocates for

and live guides to the project.

Mary Bourne, a professional sculptor who was also

a member of the parent council for the school, took

on the application process and describes a good

example of how LEADER got two empathetic

projects to work together:

―Moray LEADER gave a presentation to a meeting of

Parent Council representatives and when I contacted

David Watson to discuss the environmental art

project linked to the John Muir Award, we realised it

fitted well with the SPNG one.‖

―During initial meetings with LEADER, we identified

the qualifying criteria as stimulating visitor economy,

revitalising the community and engaging all

generations in an innovative rural development

initiative that created links between the community

and school.

LEADER was fantastic – very helpful. They helped

get the two projects working together and we were

able to apply for funding as a partnership.

We were awarded £7,500. The applications process

was very time consuming and as an unpaid

volunteer, I had to do lots of juggling. Having

said that, LEADER was very helpful, and I

always felt I could approach them by phone to

sort out any difficulties.

We had to record every moment of time spent on the

project. And it was hard to secure match funding.

Because you have to spend money before you can

claim it back, this could be a concern for smaller

charities, especially when there is a delay on paying

out on claims.‖

Project cost: £14,895

LEADER funding: £7,445 (50%)

Match funders: Ernest Cook Trust

Scottish Natural Heritage

Mortlach Parent Council

SPNG

Individuals who benefitted: 278

Individuals trained: 163

11

WDCS Establish Education Room and create Tourism Project

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) began working with LEADER when

it was looking for funding to renovate and equip an Education Room to accommodate

its visitor groups.

A shed in the Harbour Memorial Garden was made

fit for purpose, with in-kind help from local builders

and suppliers. LEADER funding enabled WDCS to

put in plumbing and electricity; it now has a SMART

board and everything for a fully functioning

classroom.

The other project, to develop tourism in the area,

looks at new ways of engaging the public with the

unique natural environment of Spey Bay, which has

a rich social history, and has SSSI (Site of Special

Scientific Interest) designation protecting several

rare wildlife habitats.

Alice Mayne, who manages the LEADER

funding for WDCS, explains how LEADER has

worked for the organisation:

―LEADER has a policy of bringing people together

who are doing similar things – that’s one of the great

advantages of working with them.

The Education Room and Tourism projects met the

LEADER criteria of contributing to a progressive rural

economy and revitalising the local community. These

initiatives create employment, deliver training and

learning opportunities to the resident community and

visitors, support an innovative tourism project and

help broaden WDCS conservation work.

We had several meetings with David to determine

the way forward for our applications – he gave us an

overview and was very helpful. From the beginning

we had decided to take a strategic direction and this

fitted well with LEADER’s vision.

We approached LEADER with a budget, discussed

the percentage we were looking for, and then

LEADER made a decision. WDCS provided the

match funding.

The application process was lengthy, but

straightforward. The reporting process is time

consuming because of the level of evidence

required. Compared to other funders, it’s

complicated – but it is worth it.

The level of detail required for the application

process is spot on. Over several meetings, David

helped us identify impacts on the local community

and changed our thinking on some aspects. For

example, we wanted to increase visitor numbers,

which meant we had to consider how we would

create additional parking. It was a good discipline

and the project was more rounded and effective

because of it.‖



Match funders: Scottish Natural Heritage

WDCS



New products developed: 1

12

Miltonduff Hall Committee Miltonduff Sports Hub

The idea of Community Sports Hubs was introduced by sportscotland, to be interpreted by

individual sports clubs in response to local needs and resources. The concept provides a

base for local sports clubs, where instructors can conduct joint training, hold meetings

and social events, share experience and knowledge, and promote their activities.

Angela Hyland and the management group of

Miltonduff Public Hall decided to set up a project to

develop the Hall into a Community Sports Hub. The

focus was to create a space for holding generic

courses such as Child Protection and First Aid, for

specific sports training via Sports Coaches UK, and

to foster youth development and participation in

sport.

The hall was in urgent need of upgrading to come up

to a suitable standard to host these activities.

The Sports Hub project matched four important

LEADER criteria – Innovation, Social Cohesion,

Sustainability and Continuity, which encouraged

the group to investigate further.

Angela Hyland says: ―We thought LEADER would be

right for us because of the innovative project we had

in mind.‖

―The fact that we had to provide a budget to work

from was a challenge,‖ Angela says.

As things turned out, the group received a lot of

support, including match funding from hall funds and

Wind Farm grants.

In addition, the architect was very capable, providing

budget flow charts and guidance, and the architect

fees were in kind, which all helped to build a suitable

cash flow.

Angela’s advice to other groups considering

LEADER funding is: ―Only apply if you have match

funding available and time to do the paperwork.‖

As Angela freely acknowledges: ―Having said that,

our hall is now in excellent condition and attracting

many users. The Sports Hub is creating interest as

we had hoped it would do.‖

In addition to the Sports Hub, the renovated hall is

bursting with other community activities and

events – play school, toddler group,

badminton, bowling, dancing, gardening club,

wedding receptions, birthday parties, funeral teas

and educational courses are just some of the great

uses of the hall, which has literally been given a new

lease of life.


LEADER funding: £38,888 (74.4%)

Match funders: Heldon Community

Council Wind Farm

Miltonduff Hall Committee



15

Moray Art Centre Growth and Development

Moray Art Centre is an eco designed, purpose built Arts Centre, based on the Findhorn

coast, and aims to provide a stimulating environment for visual arts education and

appreciation.

Moray Art Centre offers free access to a community

gallery with meeting/study areas and an arts

reference library, and a main hi-spec gallery with the

ability to exhibit works from the National Collections.

The centre creates income by offering a wide range

of 30-40 weekly classes, workshops and

conferences in three flexible, rentable classrooms

and four individual artist studios, also for rent. Moray

Art Centre is strengthening its position as an

innovative art centre by creating new programmes,

such as apprenticeship for young people, master-

classes, international exhibition programmes,

international cultural exchanges and retooling for

the unemployed. The Centre has built up

relations with over 20 educational partner

groups and provided tailored made courses and

outreach programmes for clients. Major companies

such as LifeScan are now participating in bespoke

training with incredible results.

The centre itself, generates all its own heat and

electricity, is built of locally-sources materials and

serves as a resource centre for sustainable building

by using constantly renewable energy sources with

no associated pollution. The Centre is now

surrounded by a new educational ecological and bio

diverse garden that includes training areas in

traditional crafts such as wood turning/work.

Randy Klinger, Director of Moray Art Centre says:

―We met first with Moray LEADER to investigate the

potential for support to build capacity and capability

of our social enterprise. David Watson then helped

us to identify our project aims and how these would

meet LEADER’s stated priorities.

Our LEADER award was proposed to fulfil our social

aims. As Moray Art Centre is a charity, operating as

an unsubsidised social enterprise, we need to

generate more income. Our aim has to build capacity

and capability by investing in aspects of our

business that have the greatest potential to expand.

All our areas of capacity and capability building were

enhanced and improved through our LEADER

award, it enabled us to attract more participants/

visitors, create an international-museum-level

exhibition space - the first in Moray - and to upgrade

our equipment to be able to deliver a better, more

accessible and more effective service to the public,

altogether making Moray Art Centre more attractive

on a local, regional and now international level – to

the public and to major museums who will now lend

high-value exhibitions to provide greater learning

and appreciation to the public of Moray.‖



Match funders: Third Sector Fund

Moray Art Centre



Number of jobs created: 13

16

Film Forres Film Forres Cinema

This project provided a digital HD cinema and multimedia facility for young people and the

wider community to use on a regular basis. It has had the added benefit of diversity of use

with a community focus in a public building that had been underutilised.

Margaret Cowie explains how the idea for Film

Forres came about:

―As part of my role as a Community Warden with

Grampian Police I organise activities to address

community issues. In October 2007 after

discussions with young people hanging about the

streets in the evenings I started Friday night Film

Shows in Forres Town Hall. This initiative helped

reduce anti social behaviour and encouraged young

people to attend a supervised activity.‖

The main hall had a seating capacity of 320 but due

to poor sound quality and no screen, films had to be

projected onto a wall underneath the balcony which

reduced seating to only 80 people. Over the 4 years

since the film nights started numbers grew with more

young people wishing to attend; a school survey

revealed that 86% of pupils wished a cinema in

town.

In March 2010 the Film Forres committee was

formed and fundraising began to create a modern

facility within the Town Hall.

Margaret approached LEADER as ―other groups had

applied to LEADER and been successful and had

nothing but praise for the help received. Another

reason was the amount of money we had to raise

(£37,870). Many of the funding pots available were

for much smaller amounts; although we had

organised lots of fund raising it would have taken us

a very long time to raise the total. The £15,000

applied for through LEADER meant if we were

successful that we could reach our goal much

quicker. It also meant that the community knew we

were committed to making the project happen.‖

Fundraising was successful and work was completed

in November 2011 in time for a Grand Opening on

2 December 2011. Since then there has been regular

screen sessions and a couple of additional events,

both in January: the Chinese New Year night and the

Toastmasters Event when they showed ―The King’s

Speech.‖

After her LEADER experience Margaret

advises anyone thinking of approaching LEADER

to ―keep records of everything they do so that there

is all the information needed to back up the

application, to do their research thoroughly including

need and demand, to make sure they fit all the

criteria asked for, and to go ahead as this is a very

approachable organisation who are there to help and

give advice.‖


LEADER funding: £15,000 (40.6%)

Match funders: MFR Cash for Kids

Awards for All

Co-op Community Fund

Forres Common Good

Film Forres


19

Wild Things! Sustainable Enterprise on the Wild Front

Wild Things! works with vulnerable client groups in Moray to deliver activities which use

contact with the natural world to overcome educational, social or economic

disadvantages.

In 2009 Wild Things! was awarded Moray Leader

funding for a new project to encourage the

sustainable use of local natural resources to equip

clients with the skills, inspiration and qualifications to

become more enterprising and employable

individuals who value their local natural environment.

More specifically, the project :

Piloted new environmental enterprise training

activities that develop life and employability

skills

Increased Wild Things! capacity to provide

and develop these courses to vulnerable client

groups

Enhanced the biodiversity of Moray’s natural

heritage through practical conservation

activities.

Wendy Brash, Finance Manager, explains the

LEADER process: ―We approached LEADER for

match funding against this project. The application

process was quite lengthy but we were provided with

plenty of support. The reporting against the grant

was very time consuming but fairly straightforward

once we were made aware of all the evidence we

had to provide and why. LEADER helped us to put

our ideas down in an application, assisted with our

strategy and guided us through the whole process.‖

Wendy continues: ―David Watson was very helpful

when it came to refining the project and clarifying our

main aims and objectives to achieve success.‖

LEADER is not always a simple process as Wendy

comments: ―LEADER is a great source of funding if

you have the right criteria and the personnel

available to deal with the application and claim

process. We did not fully appreciate the time we

would have to spend when completing the claims

against the grant.‖

After the completion of this project Wild Things!

successfully applied to Moray LEADER for a second

project called Wild About Moray! which will enable

them to develop and pilot the first Woodland Activity

Leader qualification and Coastal Classroom Leader

qualification in Scotland. This will increase the

number of adults in Moray who have the skills,

knowledge and qualifications to lead environmental

education courses in a range of natural habitats in

Moray.



Match funders: Children in Need

Wild Things!

Heritage Lottery Fund

Scottish Natural Heritage


Training courses delivered: 59

20

Summary of activities 2011—2012

Total number of applications: 25

Total number of approvals: 18

Total amount of LEADER funding committed: £432,159

Total amount of public match funding: £814,175

Total amount of private match funding: £1,417,627

Average intervention rate: 40.6%

Total number of projects withdrawn: 0

Total value of LEADER funding for projects withdrawn: £nil

Moray LEADER Programme to date Total allocated budget: £2,340,000

Total project budget: £2,111,080

Total admin budget: £228,920

Projects approved: 61

Commitment to date: £1,877,909

Uncommitted budget: £233,171

Project spend to date: £692,284

Total project costs: £7,988,232

Average LEADER intervention rate: 35.48%

(based on eligible costs)

22

Burghead Headland Trust—Visitor Centre Upgrade

The aims of the Trust are to increase the number of visitors to Burghead by providing a unique visitor

experience and thus encourage visitors to stay longer. In order to improve the present visitor experience,

the LEADER grant will go towards upgrading the Visitor Centre by extending it to add an indoor viewing

area and toilet facilities. The new viewing area will mean that visitors can enjoy views over the Moray Firth

in the shelter of the Visitor Centre. The interpretation will also be extended to cover more fishing and natural

heritage displays in order to teach more groups including school groups.

Total Project Cost: £178,300

LEADER funding awarded: £81,385

Film Forres - Film Forres Cinema

This project will provide an improved digital HD cinema and multimedia facility for all young people and the wider community to use on a regular basis. This will have the added benefits of diversity of use with a community focus in a public building that is underutilised. This will include the installation of a retractable stage screen, 6 surround sound bracketed speakers – 4 downstairs and 2 in balcony area, a trolley projector and a multi media control system in the balcony area. Total Project Cost: £36,928 LEADER funding awarded: £15,000 HIE – Forres Area Rising to the Challenge This project will support economic growth by encouraging the development of projects leading to a community growth plan which will identify alternative source of employment and economic activity. It will seek to address under employment, unemployment, youth aspirations, and social enterprise growth, striving to make the area an attractive well serviced area, well capable of responding to the opportunities and challenges of the future in an organised and collaborative way. Total Project Cost: £175,062


Moray Reach Out – Strategic Business Review

Moray Reach Out provides work based training opportunities for adults with learning disabilities living in

Moray; it is a registered Social Enterprise. This short research project will identify new business

opportunities, new methods of working and opportunities to expand the existing business in order to offer

more training places and, potentially, genuine employment for learning disabled adults.

Total Project Cost: £10,000


Approved project summaries

24

Forres Community Woodland Trust – Feasibility Study

The Community Woodland provides opportunities for community groups to take part in delivering local

services and any development would open up further opportunities for community cohesion through

activities such as voluntary work programmes, environmental education, the possible establishment of a

craft or training centre for land based activities. This study will explore and develop the concept of the

country park and create a momentum to take this idea forward to development.

Total project cost: £19,000


Barnardo’s Scotland—Barnardo’s Works

Barnardo’s Scotland is committed to helping tackle the problem of rural poverty amongst young people

aged 16-24. It is recognised that young people in rural areas often face additional barriers to employment

such as poor transport links, isolation from services, isolation from training and employability services.

Barnardo’s are committed to helping these young people overcome these barriers into sustained

independent employment.



The Moray Council – Keith Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme LEADER funding will compliment the larger Mid Street Conservation Area project funded by The Moray

Council and Historic Scotland. It will support community initiatives and leadership work, education and

marketing. Total project cost: £1,898,188


Wild Things! – Wild About Moray! Wild Things! use the local natural environment as a fantastic, challenging and freely available resource for

the personal development of children, young people and adults. LEADER funding will enable Wild Things!

to develop and pilot the first Woodland Activity Leader qualification and Coastal Classroom Leader

qualification in Scotland. This will increase the number of adults in Moray who have the skills, knowledge

and qualifications to lead environmental education courses in a range of natural habitats in Moray. Total project cost: £119,345


Findhorn Foundation – Connecting Moray

This LEADER funded project will provide training, expertise and equipment which will enable the

development of a portable, web streaming facility allowing individuals to view conferences, training,

meetings and events. Total project cost: £25,175


Scottish Orienteering Association – Orienteering Development Grampian is the most successful region in Scotland as far as orienteering club membership as a

percentage of the population is concerned and Moravian Orienteering Club has shown the largest

percentage increase in membership of all clubs in Scotland during 2010 to 2011. LEADER funding will

support a development worker to work in the Moray area to increase participation in orienteering amongst

individuals and families, increase the membership, financial strength and volunteer workforce of the local

clubs, and take orienteering activity to a higher level. Total project cost: £20,800


25

Community Food Moray – Taste Not Waste Community Food Moray promote healthy eating across Moray. LEADER funding will enable them to provide

a social hub at their Mosstodloch shop for isolated individuals promoting healthy produce, soups, smoothies

and health promotion information. They also aim to reduce waste from perishable items and increase the

promotion of health and well-being across Moray. Total project cost: £105,870


Women of Moray – Women of Moray A group of Moray women have written a book telling the remarkable stories of some of the women across

the region uncovering some of the hidden history that is often difficult to find. The LEADER award will allow

them to promote the book through a series of events including a conference in March and a celebration

event in Rothes in September, the creation of a website for people to add their stories, and an art exhibition

at Elgin Museum. Total project cost: £6,690


Moray Gig – Flying the Flag for Moray Atlantic Challenge Scotland operates the Moray Gig, a traditional oar and sail boat based in Findhorn Bay.

The gig was built in 2000 and provides short outings for up to 10 young people and adults at a time,

providing a team building experience in a challenging environment. The Gig and crew have been invited by

the Lord Lieutenant to represent Moray in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the Thames in June

2012. This will involve around 1000 vessels travelling together for about 10 miles on the river through

central London. The Gig will be one of 200 rowed craft at the head of the Pageant, preceding the Royal

Barge. Total project cost: £10,900


Paths for All – Northern Demonstration Site Paths for All is committed to creating a happier, healthier, greener, more active Scotland and have been

researching potential sites for a third National Path Demonstration site. These National Path Demonstration

sites are designed to help people learn more about path development, construction and management and

de-mystify the technicalities. Feedback from our community group partners and other stakeholders show

that a northern site is required to improve access to facilities and training for people who live in the north

of the country. Total project cost: £20,000


Moray Way Association – Moray Walking Festival The association was formed to link the existing footpaths of The Speyside Way, The Moray Coast Trail and

the Dava Way into a 95-mile long distance circular walking route. This project plans to promote the route by

holding a pilot four-day midsummer walking festival based on and around The Moray Way to publicise the

route and encourage visitors and locals to participate in fun walking activities at a time of year notoriously

slow for tourists. Total project cost: £18,350


26

Outf!t Moray – The Bike Revolution

The Bike Revolution project will consist of a range of activities focusing on the recycling, refurbishment,

training, maintenance, hire and sale of second-hand bikes, and has developed from a recognised need for

the provision of these activities in the local area.



REAP – Who Feeds Moray?

REAP works in communities to address the issues that are important to them using social auditing,

community consultation and engagement, and by offering administrative support. Who Feeds Moray? will

employ a Development Officer for a period of 20 months for the purpose of establishing, strengthening and

developing a Moray Community Food Network (MCFN).



Lossiemouth Business Association

The feasibility study, options appraisal and valuation will be of major assistance in helping the Lossiemouth

Business Association to find out if this aspiration is viable with the potential of long term sustainability and

whether or not to proceed with the Scottish Government option of the Community Right to Buy.



27

Moray LEADER goes international Transnational co-operation with Sweden

Through transnational co-operation it is possible to improve the implementation of LEADER. It is believed that by sharing best practice and raising awareness, it enables participants to be inspired and develop sustainable projects within their own rural community.

In September 2011, following initial contact through

Rural Gateway, two staff members from Leader

Upplandsbygd came to Moray to meet with Moray

LEADER staff and several LAG members. While

here they were shown projects that fitted with four

target areas displaying innovation and good practice.

A return visit took place in December when two staff

members and the LAG Chairman of Moray LEADER

visited Upplandsbygd; again they visited inspiring

projects many of which will be involved with the

transnational project.

A co-operation between the two LEADER areas will

develop sustainability in four areas:

Transition towns

Three transition towns will participate – Forres in

Moray and Strorvreta and Sigtuna in Upplandsbygd.

They will investigate the different ways each

transition town has evolved and look at areas they

can work together to deliver the outcomes of the

transition movement.

Local food

There is an increasing demand for local produce and

several projects in Moray and Upplandsbygd have

been looking at food tourism and innovation in local

food.

Youth involvement

Young people in a position of direct influence will

come together to share experience and ideas which

they can then implement in their own area.

Many of these young people are also involved in

youth projects in their area and it is hoped that this

link will inspire them to start new projects within their

areas. It is also an opportunity for the young people

to learn about different cultures, find out what

differences they have but also what they have in

common; for young people living in rural locations it

is hoped that this experience will broaden horizons

and develop lifelong links.

LAG

Both LAGs will also be involved in the transnational

project giving them the opportunity to discuss the

LEADER method and how it is delivered

in their own countries. It will maintain the bottom-up

approach and keep the LEADER strategy alive.

Within each area we plan to share knowledge, good

practice and ideas setting up new international

networks.

In April 2012 the Leader Upplandsbygd LAG visited

Moray to kick off the co-operation project and a

series of visits between groups will take place over

2012—2013.

29

Priscilla Gordon-Duff (Chairman) Drummuir Estate

Alastair Kennedy (Vice Chairman) Joint Community Councils of Moray

Andrew Anderson Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) Moray

Cllr John Russell The Moray Council

Debbie Herron Moray Social Enterprise Network

Drew McFarlane-Slack Scottish Land and Estates

Eileen Bush Voluntary Action Moray

Gavin Clark Scottish Natural Heritage

Inspector Craig Donald Grampian Police

Lesley Ann Parker Moray Chamber of Commerce

Matt Young Forestry Commission

Ron McIntyre Moray Federation of Community Halls & Associations

Rosella Smith Moray College

Ruth Anderson REAP Scotland

Tracey Gervaise NHS Grampian

Members who have left the LAG during 2011—2012:

Bridget Oakridge Paul Timms

Gary Matheson Inspector Jim Masson

Moray LAG representatives 2011-12

Project photos credits Front Wild Things!

P2 L Lossiemouth

P2 R Moray Art Centre

P3 Knockando Woolmill

P4 The Moray Council Street Football

P5 L Grampian Police Against Wildlife Crime

P5 R Findochty

P6 L Speyside High School—Rural Skills

P6 R Miltonduff Hall

P7 Wild Things!

P8 Miltonduff Hall

P10-11 Speyside Paths Network Group

P12-13 WDCS

P14-15 Miltonduff Hall

P16-17 Moray Art Centre

P18-19 Film Forres

P20-21 Wild Things!

P22 L Speyside Paths Network Group

P22 R Speyside Paths Network Group

P23 Wild Things!

P24 L Moray Gig

P24 R Moray Firth Partnership Gansey Project

P27 Knockando Woolmill

P28 Øregrund, Sweden

P29 Transnational images


P30 R Scottish Wildlife Trust

P31 Speyside Paths Network Group

P32 Moray Gig


P33 R LEADER event at Miltonduff Hall

P35 Moray Gig

30

Survey Monkey review Results of a LEADER experience review

In March 2012 the Moray LEADER LAG undertook a survey to assess the satisfaction level of

applicants to the Moray LEADER Programme 2007-13. 52 projects that had been approved,

rejected or completed were contacted of which 25 responded, giving a 48% response rate.

How would you describe your experience during

the:

What do you feel are the positive benefits of

LEADER?

What is the best unexpected outcome for your

group of applying for LEADER funding?

Our hall is now quite famous for the high

standard of amenity it provides and our

bookings have doubled. By word of mouth and

experience of using such a great facility we

are reaching out to a wider community and

this is putting our beautiful village on the map.

That we met the criteria so well.

Sustainability - We're still here!

Having been turned down by many Trusts,

LEADER recognised the efforts made and

'went the extra mile' to help with match

funding.

Becoming part of a community of projects.

Good relationship with LEADER staff.

Project development suggestions by the

LEADER manager, his ability and knowledge

of where other groups in Moray can

support/partner with us, helped in formulating

the final project outline.

33

34

LEADER put us in contact with another local

group and through that connection we formed

a partnership which made our project much

richer, better and with wider connections in the

community.

Achieving more than was thought possible -

which has allowed the project to develop.

What do you feel are the negative aspects of

LEADER?

We have been able to cope with all of the

above with the support of the Moray Leader

Team, without them this would have been

impossible.

Claims could be processed quicker.

If a recognised Audit Accounts are kept do

you really need payslips and bank state-

ments?

The other funders from which we have had

grants pay in advance with the proviso that if

not all money is used balance can be clawed

back

A percentage of money 'up front' would be a

huge benefit to small projects.

Simplifying the claim process

If funding was speeded up or paid in advance

to allow for cash flow

For us, the cash flow element is not an issue,

however for smaller organisations it is a

significant barrier.

The requirement for 3 quotes for everything,

uses huge amounts of time.

A lot of groups struggle with identifying

Innovation.

Has LEADER changed your way of thinking

about local community development?

How would you rate your Moray LEADER

experience?

Would you apply for LEADER funding again if the

opportunity arose?

It takes a lot of time, energy and nerve and I

would only do it with the quality of staff

support we have been given.

Make sure that you have looked carefully at

the project and know EXACTLY what you

want to achieve.

Talk first to local LEADER staff who will advise

on the project and the best way forward in the

view of LEADER.

Think about how the project will have ongoing

benefits. Provide evidence of community

need.

Consider if they have enough in the bank to

provide cash flow before LEADER funding can

be claimed and whether you can deliver what

you applied for.

Ensure match funding is in place.

To ensure that their project goals and delivery

plan are fully formed and that as much match

funding as possible is at least applied for.

Please add any further comments here:

Good local team - well done

Grateful and thankful for all your support.

I find the Leader staff in Moray a fantastic

support for the delivery of Leader and as a

support to our project

Hope to start a new project soon

The Moray LEADER team are excellent!

I think there should be some sort of threshold

below which smaller projects, often run by

volunteers do not have to meet such stringent

condition.

35

17 High Street, Elgin IV30 1EQ

T: 01343 563635

W: www.morayleader.org.uk

E: [email protected]

annual report 2011 - 2012

Documents

leader programme

moray council

moray key priorities

programme coordinator

varied programme

moray key priorities

leader strategy

innovative activity