What's New
Annual Report 2009
Posted: May 2010
You can find out what's been happening over the last year in our 2009 Annual Report.
Dowload the 2009 annual report (748kB PDF)
2010 Small Grant Scheme Open
Posted: May 2010
Community Food and Health Scotland have opened their annual small grant scheme which offers £500 to £4,000 to develop healthy eating activities. Last year Straiton Village Community Co-operative in South Ayrshire was able to buy a new chiller cabinet to help improve its sales of fresh fruit and vegetables. The Scheme is open until Friday 9 July.
Find out more at: www.communityfoodandhealth.org.uk/funding/smallgrantsopen.php
DTA Scotland Annual Conference: 13-14 June
Posted: May 2010
This is the main opportunity in the year for new and existing development trusts to get together at a national level, share information and expertise and generally inspire each other. The conference will take place on 13-14 June at the MacDonald Highland Resort in Aviemore and the Community Retailing Network will have a stand in the Marketplace.
See: www.dtascot.org.uk/newsandevents.cfm#seminars
The Store is the Core - Final Report
Posted: May 2010
Part of Carnegie's Rural Action Research Programme, The Store is the Core project aimed to investigate the diversification of community-owned shops into multi-service outlets and share the lessons learned. The project ran for 3 years, ending in November 2009.
Download the final report from the CarnegieUK Trust website.
20:Twenty Leadership Residential
Posted: April 2010
The 20:20 is a unique opportunity for people working in retailing social enterprises to meet with their peers from across the Highlands and islands, and participate in a leadership and enterprise learning experience. The programme is delivered at the four-star Newton Hotel, Nairn, one of the Highland's top conference venues. The programme is interactive, participatory and fun! You will learn not only from our expert tutors who between them have a vast amount of expertise in leadership, management, sales, promotion and marketing, but also from other learners who will be experiencing the same issues as yourself.
The programme is free of charge (including accommodation and meals), and we can help towards travel costs. For further details and application forms, please call Kate on 01463 238 088 or email kate@theacademy-ssea.org
New Business Assistance from HISEZ
Posted: April 2010
Highlands & Islands Social Enterprise Zone has taken on two Business Assistants to offer practical help for social enterprises. If you need help with a business plan, marketing strategy, funding application or even administrative tasks or systems please contact Amy or Kirsty at HISEZ: email amy.matheson@hisez.co.uk or kirsty.maccallum@hisez.co.uk or call on 01463 715 533.
Members Study Visit to Norway
Posted: April 2010
Two members of the Community Retailing Network recently had the chance to take part in a study visit to Norway as part of the Retail in Rural Regions project. Elaine from Uig Community Co-op in Lewis and Sheila from Eid Community Co-op in Shetland joined representatives from 5 other countries on the visit where they learned how rural shops operate in the region as well as the workings of the well established support programme Merkur which offers funding, advice, and training.
The report on their visit will be available here for download in the near future.
Rural Retailer - Spring 2010
Posted: April 2010
Rural Retailer is a quarterly publication published by the Rural Shops Alliance. It is a useful resource, covering a range of topics including success stories, information on regulations, guidance on specific aspects of running a shop and up to date retail news.
Download the latest edition [2.6MB PDF]
New Online Community Shops Network - connecting the community-owned shops sector across the UK
Posted: April 2010
Launched by the Plunkett Foundation which supports community shops across England and Wales, this new online network aims to provide a place for everybody involved in the sector to share ideas and best practice.
You can access the network at: www.plunkett.co.uk
Could you learn from visiting another community shop?
Posted: April 2010
If so or if you would be happy for other community shops to visit you, Local People Leading might be able to help. Through its Knowledge and Skills Exchange Fund which is funded by the Scottish Government, it aims to facilitate learning and the exchange of knowledge and ideas within the community sector. Grants of £1,000 are available for costs including visits to projects or community organisations, hosting a visit and accessing training. If you are interested in finding out more please contact us at 0845 217 8978 or info@communityretailing.co.uk