Woodland Voices the newsletter of the Community Woodlands Association - no. 18 Summer 2010 Woodlands for Work and Learning www.communitywoods.org Editorial Community Woodlands: Open for Business Strange: everything seems normal yet our masters tell us we are on the edge of the abyss. We’ve all heard the warnings of the widest and deepest cuts in a generation, and many will be dismayed that the pain isn’t falling on those who caused the mess, or that having given most of our money to the bankers, the government want to spend what’s left on replacing Trident. However, it’s not as if the loss of funding is something new for community woodlands; it’s become increasingly clear that some of our key funders turned their back on the sector years ago, so either we can bemoan our lot and lament the injustice of it all, or roll up our sleeves and get on with finding ways to make it work, in particular, to making our resources, our woodlands, work better for us. The first step is to broaden our economic horizons. One of the most damaging effects of 20th century forest policy and practice was the narrowing of the meaning of “economic” forestry to the production of sawlogs and fibre, and the subsequent blinkered focus on a few key species. So thoroughly did this view colonise the forestry subconscious that it is sometimes asserted that without demand from industrial processors there wouldn’t be any forests… The most obvious opportunities are around the development of woodfuel supply for local markets; this hits so many other sustainable development and climate change mitigation targets that it should be a given for all but a few woods. But beyond woodfuel there are whole range of possibilities to develop woods as venues, not just for open days and guided walks, but for education and health, weddings and burials, film shoots and sporting events, community service and corporate team building. Some important outputs and benefits for community woods are not so easily monetised: community development, biodiversity conservation etc. Here, some of those government agencies that have been so enthusiastically promoting social enterprise need to acknowledge that they have a continuing role not as funders but as customers. After all many have no delivery arm, so the only way they can achieve their objectives is by paying others who can, and if they can’t do that then they have no business continuing to exist. Likewise CWA has to adapt to the changing world: building our own consultancy business and supporting our members to develop their own incomes. Whilst we will seek to continue to react to demand and assist community groups with whatever services they need, it’s clear that economic development is going to be at the forefront, and our two new posts: Business Development Manager and Social Enterprise Development Officer, reflect this priority. Thinking about the future always prompts trepidation, but we think it should also be accompanied with enthusiasm. There’s no doubt that the transition may prove difficult, but in the longer term we have to welcome the prospect of our community woods becoming sustainable businesses at the heart of communities, sustained by and answerable to local consumers rather than at the mercy of government and agency policies and funding, and that’s a silver lining definitely worth working for. Jon Hollingdale, CWA CEO 2 Making Woodlands Work, CWA Annual Conference Callander 23rd and 24th October 2010 The 2010 conference will focus on how to get the very best out of your woodlands. What does this mean to you? Is it about generating income, creating a place which can really benefit the health and wellbeing of your community, somewhere that you can use to help your community to become more resilient? Or is it a mix of all of these? The topics covered in this conference will give you an opportunity to think about all these issues and more. It also gives community volunteers and those working for volunteer groups the chance to share experience, learn from each other and move forward with your plans. Remember the conference is free to many of you, depending on your membership status, and you will also get subsidised travel and accommodation costs. The ever popular Saturday night networking dinner and Ceilidh is a fantastic fun event so we hope that you will be able to make that as well as both days of the conference. A draft schedule and booking form have been included in the membership mailing of this issue of Woodland Voices and is also available to download from www.communitywoods.org Diane Oliver, the new Social Enterprise Development InNews 2010, we are entering a new phase for CWA. The three Officer, Highland who will develop the Employability Services year funding package from Big Lottery Fund, Forestry Project funded by Highland LEADER and Highland Council Commission Scotland (FCS) and Highlands and Islands allowing us to set up a precedent for similar projects around Enterprise - Community Land Unit (HIE-CLU) has come to Scotland (page 8) an end and CWA must find alternative funds to continue to Jake WIllis and Andrew Thompson have now left CWA provide services to our members. but may be involved in future with Community Woodland We have been lucky enough to secure further funding from Enterprise (CWE) our new trading arm. FCS and HIE-CLU as well as a private funder who has been Diane Campbell will also be leaving CWA but may be incredibly supportive of all our future plans. A big thank you involved in contracts through CWE in the future. to all of our current funders. All staff roles and contacts can be found at The change in the level of funding has meant that we have www.communitywoods.org/staff reduced staff numbers. Jon Hollingdale will now cover the North of Scotland and Rosslyn Mills will provide membership Contents services in the South. News 3 Caroline Derbyshire will continue in her part time post as Community Woods to Sustainable Business 4 administrator working with Jon Hollingdale and supporting Knowledge and Skills Sharing Success 5 him in his role as part time CEO. Nature Loving Kids 6 We have two new staff members: Its a Partnership but we must work at it 9 John Paterson our Business Development Manager funded Woodlands and Employability Services 10 by Scottish Government Third Sector Enterprise Fund Introducing LPL Partners: Transition Scotland 11 will take forward development of our trading arm (page 4) CWA Member Groups August 2010 12 The Community Woodlands Association is the direct representative body of Scotland’s community woodland groups. We help groups across the country achieve their aspirations and potential, providing advice, assistance and information, facilitating networking and training, and representing and promoting community woodlands to the wider world. www.communitywoods.org Woodland Voices is published by: The Community Woodlands Association, 69 St Valery Place, Ullapool, Ross-shire, IV26 2TD. Company Limited by Guarantee registered in Scotland No. 275097, Scottish Charity No. SC038374 Editor: Diane Campbell [email protected] Printed by HB Rutherford & Co. on 9 Lives Recycled Paper. The Community Woodlands Association gratefully acknowledges the support of: 3 Transition: Community Woods to Sustainable Businesses by John Paterson. CWA Business Development Manager With challenge comes great opportunity. With a Global range from Outdoor Education, Corporate Team Build- recession and the reduced availability of funding the ing/Work Days, Fitness, Camera Stalking, Film, Sport, task of building a sustainable future through flourishing Corporate Social Responsibility, to Community Ser- community woodland is a challenge. However, in the vice. Finally, CWE will provide a centralised mechanism midst of this, there are market opportunities, outstand- providing support services such as marketing, employ- ing success stories and new ways for CWA and com- ability, health, education, and project management to munity woodland groups to work together to realise member groups. aspirations, potential and benefit the local economy. The exciting second phase will focus on realising This transition, community woods to sustainable opportunities in wood fuel supply via development of businesses, is founded on local economic develop- a wood fuel / biomass resource hub with availability of ment – ensuring education, employment and economic mobile equipment providing opportunity for member growth happens at a local level facilitated and support- groups to harvest, extract, chip and therefore monetise ed nationally. the timber resource linking local supply to local demand via national marketing and brokerage. In Enter Community Woodland Enterprise (CWE), CWA’s addition, there will be a number of other developments new trading arm which will generate finance for CWA in private sector links, education, employability (realis- to help facilitate the continuum of support whilst bene- ing opportunities with the new employability services fiting local communities to develop their own incomes. project) and exploitation of new markets. Gap-fill provision is the ethos, complementing exist- ing provision and working in partnership with the aim I have been recruited by CWA to undertake this work of facilitating sustainable income generation locally and and since entering into post I have begun the process nationally (CWE and CWA). This Win:Win approach of forming CWE, identifying income generation takes dual account of the national perspective and opportunities through consultation with local wood- localism agenda building sustainability communities land groups and am in the processes of contacting together. many more via email, telephone and site visits. I will be speaking at the CWA conference on Win:Win op- CWE development will be in two phases, with the portunities for CWA members. initial phase providing expert consultancy such as Surveys, Studies and Business / Management Plans, pro- If you wish to discuss opportunities, or find out more, viding expert assistance continuing to support member you can contact me on groups.