Tag: sustainability

We’ll support you evermore?

Consultation launched to give fans greater voice

football

A consultation into the best ways of increasing supporter involvement in football clubs is being launched today.

The Scottish Government is launching the exercise to inform potential future legislation to protect the rights of football fans. The consultation, which will run until 15 January next year, seeks to gather the views of supporters and other stakeholders involved in the game.

Respondents will be asked to consider a number of different options that could be included in future legislation. These include a right to influence the way the club is run, to govern the club or to bid for ownership when it comes up for sale. The final option is to introduce a right to buy, where fans would have a right to buy their football club.

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament in June 2015. As part of the final legislation, the Scottish Government gave an undertaking to consult on a range of different options to enhance supporter involvement in football clubs.

Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, said: “I believe that football clubs are stronger when supporters are involved in the way they are run. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that fans have the chance to be involved wherever possible.

“It’s important to increase supporter involvement, but we also need to consider the long term stability of our clubs. We must make sure that whichever option we pursue does not result in any unintended consequences.

“This consultation is about gathering a wide range of views so we can decide the best way to achieve this. I want to hear from fans, supporters’ organisations, players and the clubs themselves – anyone who cares about this great game.”

The consultation paper can be downloaded here:

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/09/8222

College ploughs ahead with support for community farm

Edinburgh College - Whitmuir Farm

Edinburgh College has shown its support for a community-owned farm in the Borders by becoming the first College to become a shareholder. As part of Edinburgh College’s commitment to sustainability, the College has invested in Whitmuir Farm’s new share scheme, which allows local people and organisations to get actively involved in the running of a modern day farm in Scotland. 

Whitmuir Farm, one of Scotland’s most innovative organic farms, will use the support from the College and other shareholders to help to establish the farm as a national resource on sustainable food and farming, which will include a “green classroom” for students to learn about local and ethical food.

The farm also hopes to establish discovery trails, exhibitions, educational opportunities and citizen science projects, whilst also looking out for the next generation of farmers to train and nurture.

Harriet Cross, Sustainability Projects Co-ordinator at Edinburgh College, said: “We are delighted to be supporting such a fantastic farming initiative. The College really supports the values of Whitmuir Farm and believe in its vision for local, ethical and sustainable food. We have a strong relationship with Whitmuir Farm through our veggie bag scheme. Each week, a group of our Bridging Course students visit the farm to sort, weigh and bag organic vegetables which they then deliver to staff and student customers at the College. The students not only gain practical work experience at the farm and improve their enterprise and numeracy skills but they also gain an understanding of where their food comes from.”

Harriet added:“We are constantly looking for innovative ways to engage students and staff with sustainability across the College, and we arereally pleased to continue to strengthen our relationship with Whitmuir Farm through the farm share initiative.”

Heather Anderson, member of the Steering Group for the Community Farm said: “We are so delighted to receive this kind of support.  It’s good to know we are selling the farm to people who really care about the land and what we do here.  This ensures we continue to enjoy a real, long term relationship with the College and the young people who go there into the future.”

The farm has also launched a ground breaking bio-char project, which Edinburgh College students will be undertaking as an offshoot project at the Milton Road Community Garden. By carrying out a growing trial, the students will be able to monitor the effects of burnt woody waste on plant life in the garden, which may have a significant bearing on how the organic food is grown.

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