More information
There are lots of resources out there to support private and social enterprises in town centres. For support with securing finance, check out Taking Action.
Resources for everyone
Can Do Places Lots of inspirational 60 second videos from private and social enterprises in town centres around Scotland – their stories, their challenges and their successes in their own words.
Carnegie UK Trust The Trust supports development of towns policy and innovative practice in our towns. It runs various projects which aim to bring progressive rethinking to help towns flourish - check out videos, case studies and learning from around the UK.
Scotland’s Towns Partnership STP’s role is to act as a hub for news & resources, knowledge and good practice (such as this Toolkit) related to towns; to support learning and community through its events; to influence and share policies that impact towns; and to raise the profile of Scottish towns. For information on effective marketing communication strategies for your town, check out the presentations from this STP webinar.
Scotland's Improvement Districts Support for Improvement Districts (including Business Improvement Districts or BIDS) across Scotland by providing national guidance, training, resources and events, and building strong national partnerships. More information about Improvement Districts can be found in the Toolkit's Taking Action section.
Resources for businesses
Business Gateway Professional resources and support to help anyone starting up or growing a business, including workshops, events, news and advice.
Federation of Small Businesses The national voice for small businesses, campaigning and working with politicians and policy-makers to help small businesses. Their 2020 report Streets Ahead describes the importance of small businesses for the high street, and contains policy recommendations for local and national government to support small businesses to deliver even more.
Scottish Chambers of Commerce Events, business support, news and contacts for businesses and local Chambers of Commerce around Scotland.
Scottish Government Tools and guidance on getting started, finance, premises and employing people.
Scottish Retail Consortium Supports and leads the retail industry in Scotland, provides information and events, and publishes data on Scottish retail sales, footfall and shop vacancies.
Zero Waste Scotland and Resource Efficient Scotland Provide specific support around waste, recycling and the circular economy. See Clean and Green > Net Zero for more information.
Resources for tourism
Ayrshire and Arran community tourism toolkit For anybody who wants to explore and develop a tourism project – individuals, businesses and local groups. The comprehensive toolkit provides support material to enable communities to work through the key stages in delivering a successful tourism project – information which is relevant for anywhere in Scotland.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise HIE produces a wealth of information to support tourism enterprises in the Highlands and Islands. Much of it is also useful for enterprises in other parts of Scotland. Check out the Tune into Tourism videos on their YouTube Channel, with playlists covering food and drink, accommodation, digital and sustainability.
Scottish Tourism Alliance Comprehensive online toolkit, case studies and information covering customer profiles, tourism marketing, websites and social media, costs, staffing, and regional contacts.
Senscot A support network across Scotland for social and community activists and their enterprises. They have specialist resources on community-led tourism and adventure tourism, plus a wide range of other resources (see under ‘Resources for social enterprise’ below).
VisitScotland Scotland’s national tourism organisation – your source for business support, events support, news and information. In recent years, VisitScotland’s resources have become more business-focused rather than destination planning. They have developed a range of useful marketing toolkits and an Inclusive Tourism Toolkit. Their EventScotland team can provide advice on events-related funding, resources and information.
Resources for social enterprises
Just Enterprise Comprehensive digital support for people working and volunteering in social enterprises in Scotland, including one-to-one specialist support, groups workshops and programmes, webinars and online learning, and downloadable resources. Most support is free. Funded by the Scottish Government, it is delivered with a range of partners including Firstport, Social Investment Scotland and Partnership for Procurement (P4P).
Senscot A support network across Scotland for social and community activists and their enterprises. They have a wide range of online resources, thematic networks, a weekly bulletin and other information, including support with community cafés (with case studies here and here) and tourism activities (see above).
Social Enterprise Scotland The gateway to Scotland’s social enterprise community, championing the sector and supporting members with news, information and advice including The Complete Guide to Social Enterprise.