In October 2017, Collaborative Scotland organised a series of public events and business breakfasts and other events in the north-west of Scotland as part of our Better Conversations Bus Tour.
The Bus Tour is a new project aiming to build real dialogue and problem-solving capacity, offering an opportunity to discuss in a safe space the really important issues that concern us all, while helping to take some of the heat out of difficult decisions about contentious matters in Scotland’s communities, business and public life.
The Bus Tour visited 16 communities in the north and west Highlands.
Tour Report
The Better Conversations Bus Tour Report has now been published. The Report contains Collaborative Scotland’s findings and recommendations. It has been launched at a number of events in March 2018.
The Report concludes that there is great potential in hosting these kinds of conversations, both in the north and west, where the Tour engaged with so many enthusiastic people, and elsewhere in Scotland. Already, plans are unfolding for the next adventure to the south and west later this year.
The Report raises questions:
- How to make better and more efficient use of existing resources in the communities?
- How to encourage and enhance collaboration within and across communities?
- How to attract and accommodate people, especially younger people, through new job opportunities and affordable housing?
- How to make the best of tourism, while building a sustainable economy?
- How to attract necessary funding for community projects?
- How to support local autonomy, decision-making and problem-solving?
- How to ensure long-term planning rather than merely short-term gain?
Read the full Recommendations here.
Read the full Report here:
Read the Commitment to Respectful Dialogue here.
Events
Please see below for information about the event we held. You can also download the rather enticing Bus Tour poster here. Read the Bus Tour Press Release here, too.
Dornoch, Lairg and Brora – Mon 23.10.17
Read more about events in Dornoch, Lairg and Brora on Monday 23 October 2017
Wick and Thurso – Tues 24.10.17
Read more about events in Wick and Thurso on Tuesday 24 October 2017
Tongue, Durness, Kinlochbervie – Wed 25.10.17
Read more about events in Tongue, Durness and Kinlochbervie on Wednesday 25 October 2017
Lochinver – Thurs 26.10.17
Read more about events in Lochinver on Thursday 26 October 2017
Ullapool and Gairloch – Fri 27.10.17
Read more about events in Ullapool and Gairloch on Friday 27 October 2017
Dingwall – Sat 28.10.17
Read more about events in Dingwall on Saturday 28 October 2017
Better Conversations Bus Tour Report
Collaborative Scotland is delighted to announce the publication of the Better Conversations Bus Tour report. Last October, the Better Conversations Bus visited 16 communities in the north and west Highlands. The Report contains Collaborative Scotland’s findings and recommendations. Better Conversations Bus Tour Final Report is available here and there will be launch events held (by invitation… Continue reading Better Conversations Bus Tour Report
Blog Posts
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We are pleased to be working in association with these leading local bodies:
Thanks to Rabbie’s Tours for making sure we get from place to place!
I note that this tour seems to be restricted to the towns and villages on the North Coast 500 route. Will there be a similar tour on Skye where we have major problems and badly need a large share of any money provided to improve the tourist experience and try to solve some of the many problems. But perhaps there will be another tour for the Islands – Rabbie’s come here as well and the Crown Estate is involved here too, as is the University of the Highlands.
Hi Catriona
Firstly, thank you for your message. I have heard a lot about the situation in Skye. This Tour is a one-off at present. It is an initiative by Collaborative Scotland which is an independent, not for profit still relatively small initiative which I head up in my spare time. Having said that, the response in the north and west has been outstanding and it would be wonderful to replicate it elsewhere – and to get the resources to do so. We will now need to look at whether and how to do that. In the meantime, would it be useful if we offered to facilitate at least one public meeting in Skye for all the relevant people and agencies to discuss the issues in a constructive way, bearing in mind our commitment to Respectful Dialogue?https://collaborativescotland.org/commitment/
Thank you again
John Sturrock