Sutherland Partnership Meetings

Documents on this Page.    Below are links to the minutes of the various Sutherland Partnership forums.   Some of these ARE IN DRAFT AND AS YET UNAPPROVED, but are placed here for information and in order to ensure that this page's content is as up-to-date as possible.

Sutherland Summit.    On 14 September 2009 we held a momentous event - the Sutherland Summit.  This major event, which attracted nearly 200 delegates, was attended by Scottish Government Ministers Jim Mather and Roseanna Cunningham, by MP John Thurso, by Constituency MSP Jamie Stone and other MSPs, and by a wide range of other "movers and shakers" from Sutherland and beyond.  Mr Mather's "mind-mapping" session was particularly valuable, and was followed by a series of "break-out" workshops in the afternoon.  Our consultants, "Rural Analysis Associates" did a fine job in producing a report of the Summit, which you can read by clicking here.  The Summit was also followed up by a series of wide-ranging workshops held across the county in December.  The final workshop of the series will be an all-day event, which is now scheduled for 25 January, in Lairg Community Centre.  Further details will be promulgated in due course.

Once all the lessons have been learned from the Summit and its follow-up workshops, RAA will write, and Sutherland Partnership will publish, the new Action and Development Plan for Sutherland, which will replace the Sutherland Partnership Strategy Document 2005-9.  We expect that this new Action and Development Plan will give clear direction to the Sutherland Partnership for the next five years.

Annual General Meeting.    The Sutherland Partnership, a not-for-profit company, gives an annual account of its activities.  The annual report is considered at each year's Annual General Meeting.  Our 2009 AGM took place on Wednesday 1 July, in Lairg Community Centre.  Our speaker was Chief Inspector Andy Brown, Northern Constabulary Area Commander for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross.

You can now read the 2009 annual report here.  The AGM minutes, when written, will also appear here shortly, in DRAFT.  Watch this space!

Sutherland Partnership Board.    The Sutherland Partnership Board, like most Sutherland Partnership forums, meets quarterly.  To read the minutes of the meeting of 24 August 2009 click here. 

Sutherland Partnership Biodiversity Group.  This group's aim is to advance the cause of biodiversity in Sutherland, by discussing matters of environmental interest, by participating in the Highland Biodiversity Partnership, and by facilitating community participation in environmental projects.  To read the Biodiversity Group's most recent minutes which, despite appearances, are UNAPPROVED, click here.

Sutherland Partnership Community Development Forum.    This group seeks to promote the interests of the people of Sutherland through dialogue, information-gathering and dissemination, lobbying and direct action.  To read the Community Development Forum's most recently approved minutes, click here.

Sutherland Partnership Tourism Forum.    Tourism is a vital industry for Sutherland.  This forum gives an opportunity for tourism trade members to sit round a table with agency representatives, to discuss matters of common interest and to raise concerns, seek improvements and pursue opportunities to enhance Sutherland's tourism product.  To read SPTF's most recent approved minutes, click here.

Sutherland Partnership Transport Group.    This is the most recently-formed SP subgroup, set up to identify Sutherland's key transport issues and to promote and press for improvements in transport infrastructure.    Its most recently approved minutes will shortly appear here.