Support

"Whether you are an individual interested in finding out more, a community just dipping their toe into Place Making, or a Town Team looking for resource, there is support on hand"

We know that communities will have differing levels of capacity and experience with developing a plan, so there are a number of support options available to help communities with the process of engaging effectively with their communities.

(formerly Borders TSI, including Borders Volunteer Centre, The Bridge and BAVS)

Support for the voluntary sector in the Scottish Borders is changing with the formation of Border Community Action.

 Borders Community Action Community Led Planning Pages are now live! 

To reach out to Borders Community Action officers please contact  info@borderscommunityaction.org.uk 

Community Engagement Officers

Part of the Community Engagement team with a wealth of knowledge about their localities. Get in touch for conversations about getting started, making connections, community project ideas, funding opportunities, practical support for workshops and community events.

Community Place Plan + Regeneration Officers

Planning professionals who can guide communities through community planning processes, support Community Engagement Officers and help develop Local Place Plans that can be adopted into local planning legislation.

To reach out to Scottish Borders Council officers please contact  communityengagement@scotborders.gov.uk .

Place Making is a process. It is routed in wide spread effective engagement and community action. The foundation is bringing people together into a Team and the development of a Local Place Plan which captures the ideas, needs and aspirations of the community. From there, there are funding applications, and in some cases more rigorous requirements, such as businesses cases and Investment Plans.

For more information  Town Teams 

For more information  Local Place Plans 

For more information  Community + Town Investment Plans 

Depending on the capacity and skills within the community, some or all of these stages may need a level of support to guide the process.

Scottish Borders communities have an abundance of volunteers carrying out great work in their communities, and developing a Local Place Plan relies on the involvement of community members to be succesful.

That said, communities may have some, but not all the skills they need to do this effectively, and there are opportunities to connect with funding and purchase additional support.

The Place Making Framework allows communities to select from a range of companies with an extensive background in Place Making to help them to develop their Local Place Plan. These companies have been prequalified as experts in their field, which has been demonstrated through a robust procurement process supported by community members, local authority, enterprise and voluntary sector agencies.

Each company has a short profile to demonstrate their abilities and experience and a friendly user guide to explains the process is being developed and will be available soon.

For more information  Place Making Framework 

As teams have formed across the Borders common themes and questions have started to emerge about the process, peoples experiences, and more specialists subjects about everything from data analysis to mapping tools to community shares and alternative funding models.

To help share the knowledge that is developing across the region, strengthen social capital and build capacity, a series of peer learning events are being delivered.

Thank you to all of the community members who are joining us for these sessions to share their experience with others.

Recordings and / or content from the webinars will be added after the event.

There are a number of different tools that have been developed to empower communities to lead the charge in developing a plan for their community. Check out  Resources  for links to a range of guides, tool kits and case studies to inspire your journey!

Helpful information to understand funding that may be available to support the ideas coming out of the community engagement can be found  here 

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