Description – SIMRA Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas

Laggan Forest Trust

Starting Year:

Scale:Region:

MRA characteristics*: Intermediate Rural Area; 59% mountainous with islands with no bridge or tunnel link; ratio of all roads length to region area, 2; 22.7% of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, 88% of people with access to the internet.

Location:

Sector:Topic:

Challenges addressed:

Demographic challenges, Environmental sustainability, Improvement of services / infrastructures, Entrepreneurship, Poverty and social exclusion, Employment, Education

Description:

The social innovation is to get a community leasing agreement to set up a mountain biking venture in a forestry commission forest that had been destined for privatisation, so the initiative is a partnership between the Laggan community (of about 300 people) Forestry Commission Scotland and others.

Form:Actors involved:

Practices:

Services delivery, Assistance & Advice, Support (Technical, legal, etc.), Project management, Marketing & Promotion, Action-research

Forestry Commission Scotland, Cairngorms National Park, Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Social change:

• Wolftrax is one of the top tourist attractions in the local area attracting 16,000 visitors each year. • A variety of community educational activities and entertainment takes place in the forest. LFT have seen community members grow more confident about building and developing local assets.

Further information:

Website:http://www.lagganforest.com/

References:

* Information at the level of NUTS 3 or local regions.