11 h. ago Tell us about a travel experience that benefited the local community

Share a tip on a grassroots activity or tour where your visit directly supported a local community – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakWhen tourism genuinely involves local communities it’s a win for all parties – guests enjoy more authentic experiences while the livelihoods of those they are visiting are boosted. We’d love to hear about initiatives you’ve sampled that support grassroots projects and communities – perhaps it was through a homestay programme, a community-run pub or cafe, or an indigenous tour guide keen to provide an insight into local culture. Tell us about where you went and those involved.The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet wins a £200 voucher to stay at a Coolstays property – the company has more than 3,000 worldwide. The best tips will appear in the Guardian Travel section and website. Continue reading...

Politics

29 h. ago Local high school band invited to perform in London, needs community support

Local high school band invited to perform in London, needs community support  WPEC

Culture

5 d. ago Views of West Lothian residents sought over plans to change both primary and secondary boundaries

A consultation has been launched to change a number of school catchments , with the aim of making sure they fit better with local community ties as well as community council and natural geographic boundaries.

Politics

7 d. ago How to find community in 2025: ‘The most important thing I’ve learned is I’m not alone’

Civic participation is in decline across the English-speaking world. To opt out of the trend, Tom Gill learns to join inThey say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The idea? That everything has a cost, even if not financial. But I’m at my local Neighbourhood House, one of many community centres found across Australia, breaking bread with strangers and eating a genuinely free lunch. While it cost me time, what I’ve gained feels socially priceless: I’m getting to know my neighbours, something fewer and fewer Australians are doing.In 2000, Robert Putnam’s book Bowling Alone warned of declining civic participation and social connection in US society. Americans, he argued, were retreating from clubs, associations and volunteer groups – the building blocks of community connection – in favour of a more solitary existence. As Putnam put it at the time: “We used to bowl in leagues; now we bowl alone.” Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago La Gomera tragedy as man and woman killed by car while sitting on bench at winery

The couple were sitting on a bench outside a popular winery on the Canary Islands when a car ploughed straight into them in a case that has shocked the local community

Events

1 week ago Discounty review – cozy shop life simulator takes satisfying approach

PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox; Crinkle Cut Games/PQubeDon’t be fooled by the graphics, there is no twee, relaxing vibe in this intense and work-heavy game where you are taken in by your aunt and put to work in her supermarketWe are thick in an era of retail simulators. In the comet-trail of Stardew Valley, a genre is now fat with titles wherein a protagonist restarts their life and career in a bucolic, quasi-rural landscape and undertakes a blue-collar job. They get to know the local people, interfere in some lives, solve some community issues – maybe even a mystery or two. Maybe even get married. In a way, they are all Harvest Moon’s pixelated offspring – but Discounty, Crinkle Cut Games’ new offering to the genre, tackles the cozy shop life simulator a little differently.In Discounty, you are taken in by your tricky, cantankerous aunt and are put to work in her branch of a franchised supermarket. A fascinating approach, given that the road less taken through Stardew Valley involves priori...

Politics

1 week ago Real life Cinderella flees prom in tears after cruel bullies rip up dress

Jessica Robinson, 11, left her primary school prom in tears after a bully "repeatedly stamped on" her £450 dress. The local community are now rallying to give her the prom re-do she deserves

Politics

1 week ago Major update in search for parents of 'distressed young male' in Spiderman PJs

Officers urged anyone in the local community who knows the young man's parents to get in contact them - or to approach them directly in Derry City, Northern Ireland

Politics

1 week ago North Lanarkshire Council dismiss plans to allow ownership of community centre in Netherton to be transferred to local group

The council’s communities committee unanimously supported recommendations in a report which said Netherton Community Centre should not be transferred to Rivals Foundation.

Politics

1 week ago Annual list of community grant recipients presented to North Lanarkshire Council

The council’s community grants scheme provides small amounts to local groups, supporting local projects and activities.

Politics

1 week ago ‘Don’t call this racist’: row grows over motives behind England flag campaign

Organisers say they are just being patriotic but some suspect far right is behind ‘dangerous’ lamp-post movement“This is NOT racist never has been never will be,” reads the fundraising page of a group calling itself the Wythall Flaggers, which by Tuesday afternoon had raised more than £2,000, mostly in small donations of £5 and £10. “We have members of the community of all ethnicities and religions stopping by and praising what we are doing so please don’t call this racist.”The money, according to the page’s organiser, will be used for “coating the local community in England flags as this is home and we should be patriotic and proud We need help to cover every street in Wythall with our beautiful St George’s cross.” Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago West Lothian community centre group to 'dissolve' next year due to running costs

The move comes in protest at West Lothian Council’s proposals to press ahead with changes to the way community centres and halls are run as the council tires to wring £1 million in budget savings from them.

Politics

1 week ago New West Lothian Xcite community gym set to open with 'state

The community gym, located at West Calder High School will be opening mid-September with the same kit used in all Xcite gyms.

Politics

1 week ago Callander community revitalises historic St Kessog's graveyard in remarkable six

The historic graveyard on the banks of the River Teith, in Callander, has been restored to its former glory thanks to a community effort.

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Why would you take away a parking place?’: the city where anyone can build an urban oasis

Grätzloasen – low-cost, urban ‘parklets’ built by volunteers – are on the rise in Vienna as sceptics are being won over by the splash of welcome greenery and boost to community spiritsIn a quiet corner of Vienna’s well-to-do 18th district, Jana is explaining how her assembly of wooden decking and planters is bringing a bit of greenery to the area. “There’s not a single tree on this whole street – it’s just parking spaces on both sides.”This is a grätzloase, or neighbourhood oasis – a miniature park tucked into the side of the road. With the blessing of the city hall, more than 100 of them have sprung up across Vienna. The scheme has been growing since 2015, and its proponents say it’s struck a rare balance for urban projects: cheap, community-driven and appreciated by local people. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Funding boost for community development trust in West Lothian village

It's part of a £2.5 million package supporting almost 80 organisations across Scotland

Politics

3 w. ago Two women die within hours as bodies pulled from water at nearby popular beaches

The two women were both pulled from the water at two separate popular beaches over the weekend in tragic circumstances that have left the local community in mourning

Events

3 w. ago UK's wonkiest pub site 'left to rot' as 'local treasure' devolves into 'dumping ground'

The Crooked House pub, much-loved in the local community, was gutted in an arson attack before being bulldozed two days later in August 2023, the site has been left to rot

Politics

3 w. ago Community given go ahead for war memorial to honour its fallen soldiers

Dozens of soldiers from Raploch paid the ultimate sacrifice during World War II alone, but others will also be honoured.

Events

3 w. ago Community fundraiser shortlisted for top award after raising £160k to save Kippen's village hall

Frances Carlaw has devoted 10 months to fundraising and has raised a whopping £160,000 for the refurbishment of the village hall in Kippen.

Economics