Business Plan & Research

Soirbheas Business Plan & Community Strategy

Executive Summary

Soirbheas is a community charity for Glen Urquhart and Strathglass committed to creating a more vibrant, growing and greener community.

The Soirbheas area lies south west of Inverness; with a population of c. 2700 living within a rural area of 911km2. The main communities are the villages of Drumnadrochit and Cannich with a few other small hamlets spread along the main route (A831).

The charity was established in 2009 with the main aim being to manage and distribute funds generated from investments in renewables projects in the area. The first being made in the Corrimony wind farm which was completed in April 2013 with income starting to flow to Soirbheas in March 2014.

There are a number of objectives that Soirbheas is committed to delivering:

  • Reduce fuel poverty
  • Make the region greener
  • Enhance the attractiveness of the area for economic growth and investment
  • Improve the quality of life for existing residents

In April 2014 Soirbheas launched its grant programme to support community development and help deliver the above objectives.

Soirbheas is continuing to seek other renewable investment opportunities from projects being developed in the area to ensure the best possible return to the community as well as sourcing funding and partnerships to achieve its key objectives.

 

Needs of the Elderly & Vulnerable, Including Young People Research Report

Soirbheas under took this research to establish the key needs of the elderly and Vulnerable, including young people in our communities.

The research took place over a six month period (December 2014 – May 2015) and identified key issues for each target group. The research identified that between the groups there were a number of commonalities particularly around these issues:

  • Transport & Independence
  • Money Worries
  • Health and Diet
  • Communication (including poor Broadband and Mobile provision)

It is proposed that next stage will be for a series of short, medium and long term projects be developed to address the key issues. The aim is that projects will be led by one or more of the key partners.

To download a copy – Needs of the Elderly & Vulnerable, Including Young People. A Five Year Partnership Delivery Plan has been produced to address key issuesIf you require access to additional data or information from this research please contact: [email protected]

We request that you acknowledge Soirbheas as the author of this report when using any of the primary data.

Transport Feasibility Study 

Local Energy Plan