Dr Sarah Skerratt and Dr Mike Woolvin Rural Society Research, Scotland’s Rural College

And they’re off!

Key messages emerging from the research

Overview1. Ayrshire 21: Research approach

2. What has been achieved?

3. What has worked well?

4. What could have worked better?

5. What needs to happen next?

1. Ayrshire 21: Research approach • Aiming to help identify how Ayrshire 21 has developed across North, South and East Ayrshire, as an example of governance for rural community empowerment.

• What has worked well? • What could have been improved? • What lessons can be learnt?

• As part of our role with SCDC in Ayrshire 21, and also as part of our wider programme of research.

1. Ayrshire 21: Research approach • Workshops (in North, South and East Ayrshire, with the reference group and with the delivery agents from each Local Authority).

• Interviews (in North, South and East Ayrshire, with delivery agents, community agents, Local Authority employees, and community members).

• Desk based research – reviewing available documents and information.

2. What has been achieved? • Progress towards action plans: ‘baselines’ which can act as a springboard for action

• Linking into other structures for information and to achieve objectives

•Bringing communities together• Building bridges between different groups• Overcoming misconceptions • Encouraging groups previously working in parallel, pursuing similar aims, to work

together• Including the business community

2. What has been achieved? • Raising the profile of what’s already happening in communities

• An awareness of other groups and activities, not always visible through other means

• An awareness of who else is in the community

• Increasing capacity: ‘learning’ as well as ‘training’

• Increased pride in place

3. What has worked well? • ‘Grassroots’ community engagement and consultation

• Engaging those who have not engaged in the past

• Engaging informally and flexibly with community members • Independence of programme from Local Authorities • Engaging with Local Authorities and other structures to help embed Ayrshire 21 in wider programmes of activity, and cut across ‘silos’.

•

3. What has worked well? • Making links with other communities inside the local authorities

•A sense of ‘what’s next’ and the place of Ayrshire 21 in longer term plans

• Flexibility to adapt to local landscapes?

• Timescales and deadlines?

4. What could have worked better? • Timescale and Timeing?• Plans or capacity?• Lead-in and overrun time? • Summer lull• January – December, or different 12 month structure?

• Flexibility?• Making cross-Ayrshire links and programme delivery more challenging?

4. What could have worked better? • Events:• Community agent model means that many are working • Rural nature of communities can make travel to a central point challenging

• Defining clearly from the outset:• Timings/deadlines for completion of activities • Roles and responsibilities of all involved • Any differences in community agent capacities and/or training requirements

5. What needs to happen next? • Finalising action plans, taking ownership of the plans, identifying where the plan will ‘sit’ within a community and which groups/individuals will take forward plans, where appropriate.

• Undertaking ‘quick wins’ to help demonstrate value of action plans

• Using action plans to secure funding and preparing for LEADER

• Identifying how far any additional support is required to fully realise action plans:• For how long... • ...and who needs to be involved to provide this.

5. What needs to happen next? • A forum, a network?

Some interest, also prompted lots of questions:

• Need to be clear about what, why, when and who? • Within Local Authorities, or/and across Ayrshire? .• How would this fit with existing structures, complementing and avoiding

duplication? • ‘Rural’ or more thematic? • Helping share lessons and support between communities? Helping with economies

of scale?• Role of reference group?