The next generation of crofters is invited to take part in a virtual gathering next week.
The Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF) has held a young crofters gathering for the past five years. However, Covid-19 restrictions have forced the federation to hold a virtual version of the event for 2020. The virtual gathering takes place on Tuesday via Zoom.
Four sessions are planned, covering a range of topics and participants can choose to join in for the whole day or for individual elements of the event.
The first session aims to give a snapshot of what crofting means to a range of young people through short films and presentations. Speakers include Isle of Lewis crofter Donald “Sweeny” MacSween from the popular BBC Alba programme An Lot.
The second session will focus on crofting during the coronavirus pandemic, while the third will explore how crofters can add value to their enterprises.
The last session is focused on crofting policy and participants will get the chance to ask questions to a group of panellists, which includes Crofting Commission convener Rod Mackenzie and Gordon Jackson from the Scottish Government’s crofting policy team.
“This is set to be a fantastic event with a wide variety of speakers and engaging topics,” said SCF vice-chairman Donald MacKinnon.
“This is SCF’s first attempt at holding a gathering online and we hope that it will prove to be the most accessible yet, with wide participation from across the crofting counties and beyond. Hopefully this will be the first of many.”
Event details are online here.