dr sarah skerratt and dr mike woolvin rural society research, scotland’s rural college

Dr Sarah Skerratt and Dr Mike Woolvin Rural Society Research, Scotland’s Rural College

And they’re off!

Key messages emerging from the research

Overview1. Ayrshire 21: Research approach

2. What has been achieved?

3. What has worked well?

4. What could have worked better?

5. What needs to happen next?

1. Ayrshire 21: Research approach • Aiming to help identify how Ayrshire 21 has developed across North, South and East Ayrshire, as an example of governance for rural community empowerment.

• What has worked well? • What could have been improved? • What lessons can be learnt?

• As part of our role with SCDC in Ayrshire 21, and also as part of our wider programme of research.

1. Ayrshire 21: Research approach • Workshops (in North, South and East Ayrshire, with the reference group and with the delivery agents from each Local Authority).

• Interviews (in North, South and East Ayrshire, with delivery agents, community agents, Local Authority employees, and community members).

• Desk based research – reviewing available documents and information.

2. What has been achieved? • Progress towards action plans: ‘baselines’ which can act as a springboard for action

• Linking into other structures for information and to achieve objectives

•Bringing communities together• Building bridges between different groups• Overcoming misconceptions • Encouraging groups previously working in parallel, pursuing similar aims, to work

together• Including the business community

2. What has been achieved? • Raising the profile of what’s already happening in communities

• An awareness of other groups and activities, not always visible through other means

• An awareness of who else is in the community

• Increasing capacity: ‘learning’ as well as ‘training’

• Increased pride in place

3. What has worked well? • ‘Grassroots’ community engagement and consultation

• Engaging those who have not engaged in the past

• Engaging informally and flexibly with community members • Independence of programme from Local Authorities • Engaging with Local Authorities and other structures to help embed Ayrshire 21 in wider programmes of activity, and cut across ‘silos’.

•

3. What has worked well? • Making links with other communities inside the local authorities

•A sense of ‘what’s next’ and the place of Ayrshire 21 in longer term plans

• Flexibility to adapt to local landscapes?

• Timescales and deadlines?

4. What could have worked better? • Timescale and Timeing?• Plans or capacity?• Lead-in and overrun time? • Summer lull• January – December, or different 12 month structure?

• Flexibility?• Making cross-Ayrshire links and programme delivery more challenging?

4. What could have worked better? • Events:• Community agent model means that many are working • Rural nature of communities can make travel to a central point challenging

• Defining clearly from the outset:• Timings/deadlines for completion of activities • Roles and responsibilities of all involved • Any differences in community agent capacities and/or training requirements

5. What needs to happen next? • Finalising action plans, taking ownership of the plans, identifying where the plan will ‘sit’ within a community and which groups/individuals will take forward plans, where appropriate.

• Undertaking ‘quick wins’ to help demonstrate value of action plans

• Using action plans to secure funding and preparing for LEADER

• Identifying how far any additional support is required to fully realise action plans:• For how long... • ...and who needs to be involved to provide this.

5. What needs to happen next? • A forum, a network?

Some interest, also prompted lots of questions:

• Need to be clear about what, why, when and who? • Within Local Authorities, or/and across Ayrshire? .• How would this fit with existing structures, complementing and avoiding

duplication? • ‘Rural’ or more thematic? • Helping share lessons and support between communities? Helping with economies

of scale?• Role of reference group?