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Annual Report on Work of Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER Local Action Group

FVL LAG AGM 21 March 2018

Introduction

LEADER is a programme of European funding and is part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme. It is a way of promoting economic and community development in rural areas by awarding grants to a wide range of pilot or innovative community projects, or by commissioning specific pieces of work.

In 2015, £2.78 million was awarded to the Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER area which encompasses the rural areas of West Dunbartonshire, and Clackmannanshire. The Programme is governed by a Local Action Group made up of a maximum of 19 Community, Business and Agency members. The Local Action Group oversees the implementation of the Local Development Strategy which was submitted and approved by the Scottish Government at the beginning of the programme.

The programme was launched in January 2016 and the first award was made in March 2016.

Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER September 2016 – March 2018

For the entire period of this review, the Chair of the Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER Local Action Group (FVL LAG) has been Peter Sunderland, supported by Lynn Hamilton and Douglas Johnston as Vice Chairs.

FVL LAG is made up of community/business members and agency members. Without the volunteer time and enthusiasm of the Local Action Group (LAG), there would not be a LEADER programme. Understandably, some changes in our membership have taken place over the course of this period, so we extend our gratitude to all our members over the course of the period of this review:

Brian McColgan (West Dunbartonshire Julie McGrath Council) Kyle Barrie (Stirling Council) Bridget Clark Lynn Hamilton (VisitScotland) Carolyn McGill (Clackmannanshire Council) Lynne Cooper (Scottish Enterprise) Celia Burn Mike Ewart Colin Tennant (Historic Environment ) Mike Strachan (Forestry Commission Douglas Johnston Scotland) Ian Mathieson Paul Roberts (Scottish Natural Heritage) Isla Campbell (Scottish Natural Heritage) Peter Sunderland Janice Kennedy (Scottish Enterprise) Steve MacDonald (Stirling Council) Janet Beveridge Susan Brooks ( and the Jason Clark National Park Authority) Jim Livingston (Clackmannanshire Council) Tony Teasdale (Rural Stirling Housing Association) John Armstrong The FVL LEADER Programme is staffed by a Programme Manager, two Development Officers (p/t) and a Claims Officer. During the period of this report, the Programme Manage has been Anne- Michelle Ketteridge, the Development Officers have been Sarah Phillips, Ashley Robinson, Rachel Sedman and Nikki Kenn. Caroline Paterson took over from Irene Watterson as Claims Officer in October 2017. The Accountable Body who hosts the programme is Stirling Council who also provides line management, audit, HR and finance support.

Since the last AGM, the Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER LAG has awarded £1,033,019 of LEADER funds to projects in the FVL LEADER area. These awards were made over seven meetings, where twenty-eight applications were considered and twenty-five were approved (three were deferred pending more preparatory work being undertaken).

Fourteen of these projects have been community projects, five of these projects have been rural enterprise projects, three have been farm diversification projects and two have been co-operation projects with other LEADER areas. The breakdown of funding is as follows:

Community Projects £788,941

Rural Enterprise £131,101

Farm Diversification £87,574

Co-operation £25,403

Overall, funding allocations are ahead of projections, with the funds available to community projects now close to full allocation. This is a conscious decision by the Local Action Group to maximise the amount of funding that can be drawn into the Forth Valley and Lomond area before Brexit.

There has also been a comprehensive programme of promotion and attendance at events to spread the message about LEADER. This has involved linking up with partner organisations and their events, extensive use of social media and production of printed material. This has resulted in over 130 Expressions of Interest being submitted and supported.

Despite the great response to the funding, there have been some frustrations with the new on-line application process and project management system for applicants (LARCS). This has taken much longer to develop than the Scottish Government expected, although is now a robust and audit friendly system. There are also frustrations in having to provide the level of detail and paperwork required at application stage, although many projects subsequently comment on how helpful this process has been in the development of their thinking for their respective projects.

As a strategic group as well as a delivery group, the LAG has started to address identified issues and gaps in the area by commissioning or leading on projects themselves. This requires more work for the LAG and staff team, but can lead to the most effective and strategic projects for the LAG. There have been three LAG-led projects this year – an area-wide Local Food and Drink Strategy, a Community Broadband Officer and a Cycle Tourism Officer. All three projects have involved recruiting a staff member to support the project, two are in post (Ashley Robinson – Local Food and Drink Coordinator, Jane Beaton – Cycle Tourism Officer) and one will start on 3 April (Shaun Marley – Community Broadband Officer).

The economic benefits of the LEADER programme are expected to be wide ranging, but will include jobs created, increases in visitor numbers, strengthening the tourism sector, raising the profile of cycle tourism in the area, extending the tourism season, new tourism attractions created, support to the local food and drink sector, new businesses setting up, strategies and action plans being developed and implemented for specific sectors, broadband projects supported, access routes opened up and capital projects developed.

Whilst it is too early to measure exactly the economic benefits of the LEADER projects already approved – as some have not yet started - however some have already completed, including two new local food products with the creation of Stirling Tea at Fordhead Farm and St Mocha Coffee, a new ground coffee from . In terms of physical infrastructure, both the new pontoon in Balmaha and the new cycle path in are now open and in regular use. In terms of revenue projects, LEADER funding was used for the marketing and promotion of the revamped and relaunched Music Festival and Mugstock, which has now become an annual music festival in Mugdock Country Park. We will be able to update on the achievements of many more projects in next year’s annual review.

Looking to the Future

In June 2016, whilst the LEADER programme was still in its first year of operation, the UK voted to leave the EU which means LEADER funding will cease beyond the point the UK leaves the EU, expected to be March 2019.

There is as yet no clarity over whether there will be a LEADER or equivalent programme in the future, although there has been a high profile debate in the Scottish Parliament on the future of LEADER, a National Council of Rural Advisors has been appointed to advise the Scottish Government on how best to support the rural economy in Scotland after the UK leaves the EU (LEADER features positively in the first draft of this report), and there has been some discussion between the UK and Scottish Parliaments over the future of LEADER.

The next 12 months will be a very interesting period for everyone.

The Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER Programme is funded through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. Europe Investing in Rural Areas.

FVL LEADER, Room 11 John Player Building, Stirling Enterprise Park, Stirling FK7 7RP List of LEADER Projects Supported September 2016 – December 2017

Community Projects

1. Community Broadband £15,000 2. Stomping Ground £16,405 3. Japanese Garden £79,982 4. Barrwood Campsite Extension £50,000 5. Food & Drink Co-ordinator £75,000 6. Dounans Outdoor Centre Renewal £80,000 7. Brenachoile Pier Loch Katrine £48,950 8. Mugdock Courtyard Development Feasibility £5,000 9. Braeport Centre Feasibility £12,000 10. House Phase 1 £153,000 11. Cycle Tourism Officer £87,115 12. Community Broadband Officer £50,400 13. Strathard Business Development Officer £54,881 14. Maid of the Loch - Professional Team £61,208

Rural Enterprise Projects

15. Central Scotland School of Jewellery £6,101 16. Loch Katrine Eco Pods £50,000 17. Lomond Developments Ltd £25,000 18. Business Hub £25,000 19. Glamping £25,000

Farm Diversification Projects

20. Arnprior Glamping and Pool £50,000 21. Fordhead Tea Plantation £12,574 22. Wester Third Kota Lodges £25,000

Co-operation Projects

23. Mugstock Festival – Volunteering and Internships £6,465 24. John Muir Way - Marketing & Business Engagement £18,938