Forth Valley & Lomond Blog

Jenny Davidson has been appointed to co-ordinate rural business support

Small grant fund to support small climate actions which will reduce carbon emissions

Funding of £10,000 is available for communities or businesses looking to take on or develop a project benefiting visitors to the area.

Help us plan for the future

Forth Valley Food Festival will return this October with a series of virtual and socially distanced events showcasing local food and drink producers, growers, brewers and eateries.

Community Champion by We are Cycling UK

Local food and drink businesses are adapting to current challenges to support local community in a time of need.

Follow-up from the 'Developing a Local Food Business Network' meeting in November 2019.

Having superfast broadband connection really is a game changer

Forth Valley Food Festival whipped up the perfect recipe once again, with thousands of people flocking to a variety of events from foraging to farm tours over 10 days. The annual food trail and promotional campaign, led by Forth Valley and Lomond Leader, offered nearly 50 opportunities to enjoy Forth Valley’s local larder at 12 locations across the region.

There's a lot of interest in composting toilets of late, and we've been asked to repost the link to the 'Eco-Loo' study which we commissioned in 2010. Some research just doesn't go out of date...

The Scottish Wild Food Festival is a brand new festival focusing on foraging and wild food, taking place at Cardross Estate in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park

Alive with Local Food, the Forth Valley & Lomond LEADER and Stirling Council strategy for growing the local food economy, is launched.

Join other local food folk for the launch of Alive with Local Food, a strategy for growing the local food ecoomy across the Forth Valley & Lomond region. Listen, learn, network, nibble and get involved!

Is Crowdfunding is worth the bother?

#CrowdfundScotland launches in Stirling on 29 November 2018. Here's a blog from one of the attendees...

Follow-up from #ForthValleyFoodFest success!

The first in our Spotlight Series for the #ForthValleyFoodFest campaign running from 12th - 21st of October.

Game of Thrones fans eat your heart out Check out this virtual tour of the Ochils, flying over the landscape and seeing the ancient ruins come to life

Together We Can, Together We Will

One of the biggest consultations in recent years on the future of the rural economy in Scotland is currently underway - and everyone who has an interest in rural matters is being urged to get involved and have their say.

Hanna has been interning with Forth Valley & Lomond LEADER since February - working on a variety of projects over the past four months. It's been a varied workload - from working on communications and social media, to food and drink research and event development, to driving co-operation project ideas between Scotland and Sweden, among other things. She has been a valuble contribution to the team, and a real pleasure to work with. We will miss you Hanna!

Overview of the FVL strategic project focusing on developing Cycle Tourism in the region.

FVL says welcome to Hanna from Sweden

Attended the Making a Living From Local Food event, hosted by Nourish Scotland. Running alongside Nourish's "Making a Living from Local Food", a peer-support and mentoring programme, the event invited those interested in local food - from bakers to farmers to green grocers to policy makers - to network, socialise, and learn.

Engagement session and catch-up with the Local Food and Drink Business Network from the Stirlingshire Region. Including a fab Branding and Marketing workshop from Connect Local.

The Stirling and region Food Summit 2017 was a great success. Read on to hear what community members, businesses, third sector organisations, and public bodies had to say about changing Stirling's food system for the better.

Enjoy watching a short video taken at the Stirling Food Summit Community Day. Food for Thought...

Did you know that there are four types of Crowdfunding campaigns: by donation, by reward (where the donor gets something in return), by equity (shares) and by debt (loan). The most common is by donation as these campaigns are easiest to administer - however the most lucrative in fundraising terms are the campaigns where you can offer something in return.

Join us for a jam-packed day of inspiration, celebration, and skill-sharing around FOOD!! On May 20th, we are inviting everyone to come along to the Stirling Food Summit from 10 - 15:00, at Forth Valley College, Stirling Campus. If you can only make it for part of the day, please come along. We will be celebrating foodie sucesses, hearing what is important to you in regards to food, putting on free workshops about food, and of course, eating lots of local and delicious food!

Lack of access to reliable and quality broadband continues to be the number 1 issue affecting businesses in our LEADER area...

Happy New Year from everyone at Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER! The start of a new year is a perfect time to reflect on the past year and plan for the future.

Anne-Michelle has been helping the Business Partnership in the Trossachs explore the possibility of some kind of Active Travel Hub for Aberfoyle and the Trossachs. They have secured £9,500 from Transport Scotland to undertake a feasibility study which they have started by appointing Nick Soutar Associates who are well versed in consultation techniques to explore environmental projects. A first step is a survey which they are asking as many visitors and residents to complete as possible.

Using Crowdfunding to lever in LEADER funding

Have an innovative rural enterprise idea? Live in the rural Stirlingshire, Clackmannanshire or West Dunbartonshire area? Come chat to us at FVL LEADER about potential funding for your project/business idea.

What will happen to LEADER post the EU referendum decision to leave the EU?

Are you an enterprising farmer in the Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER area? We are supporting farm diversification projects in our area - read on!

About how developing applications has changed in the last three years.