Rural Voices: Action Research Competition (RV:ARC)
Rural Voices has now closed to
applications. RV:ARC was a two year pilot
programme, and is currently being reviewed and evaluated.
Ministers will then consider the outcomes of this
process.
Rural Voices - History
The Scottish Executive made
£150,000 available to Scotland's rural
communities through the innovative pilot initiative "Rural
Voices", encouraging rural communities to be directly
involved in consultations on rural services. Financial
support was made available for community action research
projects lasting for a period of up to 9 months. The last
round of the competion closed on
15 March 2004, with 68 applications were
received from all over rural Scotland.
12 communities accepted an offer of
funding in July 2004 and worked on their project over the
following
9 months.
The Rural Voices communities were:
- Airth, Falkirk: Consultation on a
Parish Wind Farm
- Sidlaw Wards, Angus: Special
Housing for elderly and disabled people in Sidlaws
- Scottish Borders: Darnick Village
Green
- Forth Village, South Lanarkshire:
Research and evaluation of a healthy lifestyle in the
village - HELP
- Stranraer and Castle Douglas,
Dumfries and Galloway: "Y.A.N.A.: You are not alone" -
Support for friends and relatives of drug users
- Wick, Caithness and Sutherland:
Consultation studies to look at demand for a Community
Memorial Garden
- St. Monans, Fife: Consultation
about the needs of the East Neuk of Fife for a crisis
centre
- Village of Inverie, Lochaber: The
Knoydart community "4 stone walls" project researching
local economic and social development needs
- Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and
Galloway: Studying the local services and amenities in
Kirdcudbright and how they can be improved
- Isle of Eigg: Investigating the
viability of a learning centre containing a virtual
High School and Community College of the Small Isles
and Knoydart
- Oban, North Argyll: Researching
the views of the community on a new Community Centre
and services it should provide.
Ministers are currently considering
the future of Rural Voices alongside the review of the
Scottish Rural Partnership Fund, and an announcement will
be made shortly.
Further information on the
competition
Contact
Information
on last year's Rural Voices competition is also
available.