Community/Social Enterprise Support

I’m applying as part of the Sustainability Team as the Sustainability Engagement Officer. I’m looking to engage with our community and provide benefits and see if theirs is opportunities for collaboration.

In October 2022 Livingston Community Shed was created from an observation by a lady at The United Parish Church in Carmondean who became concerned that many elderly gentlemen were sitting around in the church café with no social contact or involvement in the community. A meeting was called via a newsletter organised by two charity workers and from this a decision was made to register the group with the International Men’s Shed organisation. Early meetings were held in a small storeroom above the church where a committee of trustees was voted in, and the current Chairman was elected. Since those days 18 months ago when meetings were held in what became known as the little yellow room the Shed has grown into a fully fledged Scottish Charity with a strong membership base of over 20 people. In December of 2022 the shed opened talks with West Lothian Council on the possible community lease of a huge derelict area of garden located on the South side of Carmondean Community Centre where we planned to build a workshop and possibly renovate a derelict farmhouse in the grounds. The negotiations with the council lasted for over a year but eventually in February of 2024 (this year) a 10-year community lease on the land was signed and the shed are now building a workshop and developing a community garden with plans to construct greenhouses and raised beds for growing vegetables to be donated to the church café which provides a free weekly community meal to the residents of nearby Knightsridge. Whilst the negotiations were going on with the council the shed rented a small container located in the grounds of Knightsridge community garden which they have transformed into a fully fledged woodwork shop filled with tools and machinery donated by members of the public and associated Men’s Shed charities. As a result of this workshop the Community Shed has developed the following community services which are all provided free of charge, we only accept donations from those who can manage it. A major highlight of our short but busy life was our winning some tools and garden equipment in the Dobbies Garden centre competition in 2023.

Tummies not trash prevent waste by rescuing food (and some non food items) from local businesses and distribute it to our network of community groups for their benefit.

Uig Development Trust exists for the benefit of the community of Uig, Isle of Lewis. The trust works with individuals, community groups and other trusts to support sustainable community development in a collective and responsible manner. The Trust acts as landlord for Uig Community Shop.

Dumfries and Galloway College is a further education institution and a leading voice in green skills development to help tackle climate change. With campuses in Dumfries and Stranraer, we are one of the main employers and providers of learning and training across the South of Scotland, with programmes ranging from senior-phase school partnerships to higher education. We strive to equip all members of our college community with the skills, knowledge, and practical experience they need to get ahead, whether that’s moving further into education or going onto employment. As Scotland moves towards hitting its net zero targets, we recognise the need to ensure our region is equipped to deal with the demands of this transition by providing specialised training and education in sustainable practices and technologies. Our centre offers a comprehensive range of courses designed to equip professionals with the skills and qualifications needed to upgrade domestic homes and commercial settings to meet modern environmental standards. From understanding domestic retrofit to advanced certifications in renewable energy technologies, our courses provide the practical knowledge and expertise required to drive sustainable change.

Climate Ready South East Scotland is the first climate risk and opportunity assessment for the Edinburgh and South East Scotland region.

Imagine if is a community interest company on a mission to improve spaces that we experience in our daily lives. We assembled our small design team from a need to imagine a more positive future and pin down exactly what that could look like.

The Stove is an arts organisation with a national and international reputation in place-based practice. We are a values-led organisation founded on a central belief in the power of creativity and working co-creatively to improve the lives of people, the wider environment, and the systems by which we live in the region Southwest Scotland The Stove can be understood as a place-based creative movement or practice guided by a set of values. It’s organisational form and programme are constantly evolving to maximise the quality of output and effective impacts for people and the wider environment.

New Roots teaches food growing to neurodivergent members of our community. We also run horticultural 'how to' day courses for the wider public.

The Culduthel Woods Group is a local charity, run entirely by volunteers and first established in 2018. We aim to protect and improve the woods, to promote education and to encourage community involvement. If you use the woods, or care about what happens there, please join up as a member and support us in other ways.

Free Wheel North is an inclusive cycling charity, but it is also so much more. At our cycling centre at Glasgow Green, we enable thousands of people living with varying physical disabilities and other additional support needs to enjoy outdoor space through cycling. The programme is rooted in the fundamental human right to good physical and mental health through access to different modes of active travel, a fun recreational area to cycle safely and clean air. Through a multitude of modified and accessible bikes, including hand crank, side-by-side tandem, wheelchair cargo cycles and tricycles, we aim to create a barrier-free Glasgow where people from all demographics can enjoy cycling together. The track at Glasgow Green offers an alternative vision, and acts as an exemplar for inclusive public spaces in cities.

Eddleston Community Council serves the community in the Scottish Borders village of Eddleston, north of Peebles. As well as statutory CC duties and community planning we are developing a programme of community action around sustainability, active travel, wellbeing and future energy use.

Inchinnan Development Trust is a not-for-profit organisation focused on community-led preservation and enhancement of Inchinnan's greenspaces and woodlands, for the benefit of both our local communities and wildlife populations.

Kirkcaldy YMCA provides local children, young people and families within the local community with a programme of activities, groups and support services which helps enable their personal growth, development and involvement in the wider community.

VAER is the ‘Centre for Collective Impact’ based in East Renfrewshire.

ACT was established in 2019 to respond to the Climate Emergency, address environmental damage and enable a transition to a more resilient and sustainable community. It manages several projects that support its aims:

Our purpose is to inform, connect, engage and empower all communities in Lanarkshire to develop and implement local solutions to create low carbon resilient places.

ENABLE Glasgow aims to empower people with a learning disability to get the most from life. The Fortune Works service in Drumchapel, Glasgow is one of Scotland’s largest social enterprises for people with learning disability, offering the opportunity to train for work, and make a valued and useful economic contribution to the community. It provides a full-time 9am-4pm five - day programme and offers a diversity of training opportunities with a focus on personal and social development. We also maintain close working links with local Colleges of Further Education, Glasgow Health & Social Care Partnership, and many local community development organisations. We are currently working towards net zero and our own circular economy with help from our sustainability team.

We organise and facilitate workshops, speaker series, and educational events on behalf of rural communities.

The Trust has been in existence for over 30 years working across Inverclyde in the field of training, employability, arts and heritage, social isolation, refugee support, poverty alleviation, food insecurity. The Trust currently delivers a number of climate action projects including wood recycling, active travel through cycling, and zero waste pantry shops. The Climate Hub in Port Glasgow promotes climate literacy sessions and activities for peer-to-peer learning aimed at building the local community's resilience to climate challenges.

West Lothian Youth Action Project provides support to Children, young people and families throughout West Lothian. This can be through, individual or group support, education and training programmes, access to affordable food from our community fridge, by volunteering in our community garden and environment projects, befriending, youth drop-in facilities, reducing substance use, mental health support and community safety projects.

The Fraser Centre Community Trust runs the community centre in Tranent and provides a large range of health, social, development and employment opportunities in an area within the top 10% of social deprivation in Scotland. The centre includes a flexible cinema and performance space and a community cafe. The centre runs a range of activities to improve mental and physical health and wellbeing as well as providing a community pantry and a warm space.

Strathnairn Development Company was formed in 2019. It is a community-owned organisation established to help develop the community of Strathnairn, near Inverness.

We inspire long-lasting, community-owned change in South Lanarkshire, through community consultation, engagement, and development.