During 2026, we’re refreshing our Community Action Plan - to guide what we as a community focus our energy on over the next 5 years, including how we spend “community benefit money” from renewable power generation.

This page has more information on how the refresh is progressing.  Check back every few weeks for updates.

This 2 minute video summarises what the reCAP is about. Scroll down for full details.

 

 

Background

The original Community Action Plan was prepared back in 2021.  Its purpose was to guide what we as a community would focus on for five years, including how to best use “community benefit” money we receive from renewable power generation.  The CAP had five priorities:

• Community life
• Getting around
• Outdoors and nature
• Our homes
• Organising ourselves

 

Over the last five years, local groups have been using the CAP to get things done.  Some things have proved challenging or are still in progress - for example, out-of-school childcare, new affordable homes in other villages, and the future of Foyers school.  But achievements include:

• Six affordable family homes built in Inverfarigaig, including four for rent
• Foyers Stores now community-owned and its future secured
• Community minibus now running for local events, trips, groups & school
• More activities at Foyers Hub and Stratherrick Hall
• “Walk the Walk” online guide to 22 local walks
• South Loch Ness Trail upgrades
• Grants for driving lessons, with good takeup from young people
• New playpark at the Wildside Centre

 

Now, five years on, reCAP is an opportunity to reflect on all of these things - and decide what to keep, what to change, and what else might be needed.

 

Those questions are for the whole community to explore - because the reCAP must belong to all of us.  So, for everyone’s benefit, the Community Trust and the Community Council have got together to facilitate the reCAP.  The updated plan will reflect what the community as a whole wants, not simply the Community Trust or the Community Council.  So we need your help.

 

What should our new priorities be?

To give the whole community the opportunity to answer this question, a community survey was delivered to every household in Stratherrick and Foyers in June 2026, and made available online and through social media.  Discussions were also organised with younger residents through local schools, to make sure that they had a voice in their future too.

108 people responded to the survey.  You can see a visual summary of what they said here.  Have a look, and you’ll see clear priorities emerge for the new Community Action Plan.

 

    

Click each image to enlarge

 

You can see much more detail about the responses from the survey and school pupils in this report.  It makes for fascinating reading. 

There are lots of good ideas and insights, and also clear direction about what to focus on.

 

 

From aspirations to action

The survey and schools work identified clear priorities for the refresh of the Community Action Plan - including:

• How we make sure we keep and attract younger people and working families.
• How we move around the area and are connected.
• How we conserve our natural environment.
• How we organise ourselves to work together as a community.

 

Lots of good ideas were suggested to make these things happen.  What we now need to do is work out what will be most effective and practical in the next 5 years, to include in the new Community Action Plan.

To start that, four drop-in events are being organised in late August and early September.  They are an opportunity to discuss what the new Plan should contain:

• Tuesday 25th August 5pm-7pm: Stratherrick Hall, Gorthleck
• Wednesday 26th August 6pm-8pm: Errogie Church
• Thursday 27th August 10am-1pm: Wildside Centre
• Thursday 10th September 11am-1pm: Foyers Hub

 

Drop in any time, at any event.  Everybody is welcome!

Then in the autumn, a draft of the refreshed Community Action Plan will be published for everyone to check and comment on, before it is finalised in response to feedback.

 

 

The small print

This work is being facilitated by the Community Trust and the Community Council, and funded by DTAS (Development Trusts Association Scotland). The funding has enabled us to bring in the independent facilitator/planner who helped to prepare the 2021 Community Action Plan and 2023 Local Place Plan, Nick Wright.

 

If you’d like to find out more about the work, please don’t hesitate to contact Nick: nick@nickwrightplanning.co.uk, 07900 334110.