Interested in taking part?

Did anyone catch the Guardian's live online Q&A this afternoon, on funding community action? The participants and expert panel covered some interesting ground... the challenges and opportunities of service and asset transfer predictably among the hot topics. You can still view the discussion here -…

• What topics do you want Fiery Spirits Community of Practice to focus on?
• Have any of the resources CoP members produced last year been useful?
• What web features should we improve or develop?
• Should Fiery Spirits merge with other network(s) or go it alone in the future?

A members' survey opens today.... please take five…

Hi everyone



I’m writing to let you know about the launch of a new topic group – Mapping Community Assets. This builds on the work done by members of this CoP, my colleagues at IACD, Carnegie and others, leading to the publication of ‘Appreciating Assets’. The report seems to have struck chords as well as raising questions... and quite a few people have told us they’d welcome more insights into how asset mapping happens in practice.



I'm delighted to be the new Carnegie…

Following the hugely successful Comrie event in October a  really interesting programme of action is developing for January to June this year....culminating in a national youth conference as part of Young Gifted and Rural Programme. Click here for more details.

If you want to know more...or contribute to this work just let me know.

Hi
Here is a pic of our new daughter Maisy- we are getting on fine and enjoying the change of life!  Wishing you all the best for 2012

Kirsty

http://wp.me/pZs5D-ri

Maisie Christina Tait born yesterday 8lbs 4 oz

All well and very happy!

Well done

Argyll and Bute Social Enterprise Network (ABSEN) have launched their first very own Social Enterprise Awards. ABSEN recognise that awards of this type are often established to raise the profile of the vital contributions and services that third sector organiazations offer local communities. I have read this recent article

http://ning.it/und8jo, which highlights 'why recognition matters,' however I am eager to identify the specific benefits formal…

Having only recently gained employment in the third sector, I am by no means an expert about the scope of social enterprises. However I refuse to believe that anyone could fail to be impressed by the work and ethos of Kintyre Recycling based in the Argyll and Bute region of…

Here’s a shameless plug for a new booklet full of case studies and tips on participatory budgeting, community assets and much more, put together by mainly rural practitioners in the South West of England.  It gathers together the combined knowledge of about 20 people from public authorities who’ve been working together on PB and allied empowerment and engagement matters since 2009.

We’re hoping that the simply written case studies—all with a contact for more…

Biggest Jump Ever in Global Warming Gases

The jump in GHG for 2010 (compared to 2009) exceeds the worst case scenario outlined in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. The IPCC worst case scenario suggested warming this century of between 2.4 and 6.4 celsius. 

Read more: …

Previous post should have been more than a link - my thoughts on real local government and community resiliance

http://www.andywightman.com/wordpress/?p=336

My first entry so not sure if anyone will read this!  I am now 6 wks into my new job in High Bick with 1st community meeting to discuss managing our new build hall on 10th Nov, any tips for meeting everyone on mass for the 1st time?

When Nick asked me originally to write this I told him that I would wait a while and didn’t feel quite ready!  Now looking at less than a week and half left I suppose now it is time!  As some of you may know I am off on maternity leave on the 4^th Nov (baby due early Dec.)  I am planning to take the year (as long as the baby has not got expensive tastes!!)  So this is me signing off from fieryspirits as one of the facilitators (though I am sure I will keep peeking…

The Rural Media Company’s film tackling the subject of homophobia in the countryside has been selected by the SHOUT Festival to be screened at Birmingham’s Festival of Queer Culture on Saturday 5th November.

Bleeding Poof is a…

To bilingual (and multilingual) enthusiasts of wilderness:

We are searching for authors who would like to contribute very short descriptions of their favorite _non-English_ term for wilderness.  If one wishes to save wilderness, or sets out to recreate or rewild it, what does this mean in places where people predominantly speak Polish or Icelandic or Basque or Serbian, and where wilderness does not exist--cannot exist--at least by name? What does it mean to protect or bring…

Hi all,

I wondered whether anyone on here knows when the Carnegie publication mentioned in the news story below will be published? It is a book by Professor Jim Hunter on the impacts and implications of community land ownership in Scotland.

 …

Members may be interested in a collection of case studies recently put together for the UK Public Health Association in Scotland on the links between sustainability and health. The case studies focus on the themes of physical activity, food, procurement and sustainable communities. The publication can be found at  …