Scottish Beacon
@scottishbeacon.bsky.social
The Scottish Beacon is a collaborative journalism project, showcasing quality journalism from independent community-based local news publishers. Visit our website: scottishbeacon.com Our Newsletter: thescottishbeacon.substack.com
We're launching a new network to help boost environmental journalism in Scotland, inviting researchers, campaigners, writers and organisers to come collaborate ... www.scottishbeacon.com?p=8275
Launching the Scottish Environmental Journalism Network - The Scottish Beacon
After more than a year exploring the complex relationship between rural Scottish communities, renewable energy and the need for a dramatic response to climate breakdown through The Power Shift: Invest...
scottishbeacon.com
As political division deepens and scapegoating is increasingly commonplace, Dr Tunde Dipo-Lawuyi argues that the key to building a more compassionate and understanding society lies in our willingness to embrace discomfort @passthemic.bsky.social www.scottishbeacon.com/news/social-...
OPINION: We need to embrace discomfort to overcome division - The Scottish Beacon
In May, elections took place across the UK – local in England and for the devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales. In Scotland, 129 seats were up for elections, and while the SNP were able to retai...
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It has been two decades since Sakchai Makhao was taken from his home in Lerwick and threatened with deportation to Thailand. As we look back on the case, it remains clear that at the heart of the story was Shetland’s community spirit From @shetnews.co.uk www.scottishbeacon.com/news/communi...
Twenty years on: How Shetland fought to stop islander's deportation - The Scottish Beacon
“I can remember it like yesterday. I don’t think you ever forget it, to be honest.” It was 20 years ago to the day that Sakchai Makhao was awoken from his sleep by immigration officials in his Lerwick...
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Communities could generate millions from stakes in local wind and solar projects, but a new report warns that delays to government action and a lack of support risk leaving many unable to take part in Scotland's renewable energy boom. www.scottishbeacon.com/news/environ...
Communities could miss out on millions from Scotland's renewables boom, new report warns - The Scottish Beacon
Communities across Scotland risk missing out on a share of the wealth generated by renewable energy projects unless governments move quickly to strengthen support for shared ownership schemes, accordi...
scottishbeacon.com
Shetland News editor Hans J Marter was one of the participants of a day-long gathering in Glasgow discussing how Scotland’s energy transition is reshaping communities shet.news/ifnbp @scottishbeacon.bsky.social @bellacaledonia.bsky.social @communitylandsc.bsky.social @theferret.scot #powershift
Democratising energy, shifting power
Shetland News editor Hans J Marter was one of the participants of a day-long gathering in Glasgow discussing how Scotland’s energy transition is reshaping...
shet.news
Learn more about Tilley in the @scottishbeacon.bsky.social www.scottishbeacon.com/regions/the-...
The Power Shift: Lessons from communities already making renewables work for them - The Scottish Beacon
Co-published with The Herald On the windswept island of Tiree, a four-hour ferry ride from Oban, a solitary community-owned wind turbine – affectionately known as Tilley – has powered local developmen...
scottishbeacon.com
Alfresco reading in the Highlands. Earthcare on the mind. #Earthworks by @karenllo.bsky.social @saraband-books.bsky.social #thepowershift by @scottishbeacon.bsky.social
The role of community-owned media in Scotland’s renewable transition by Rhiannon J Davies. The first of a series from the Scottish Beacon's #PowerShift magazine @scottishbeacon.bsky.social www.scottishbeacon.com/news/local-d...
Telling better stories - The Scottish Beacon
What happens when no one is watching? When local stories go untold, communities lose more than news – they lose connection, voice and trust. At a time when the renewable energy transition is reshaping...
scottishbeacon.com
Locked out by design: what stands between the Local Power Plan and the communities it’s meant to deliver for from @scottishbeacon.bsky.social www.scottishbeacon.com?p=8084
Locked out by design: what stands between the Local Power Plan and the communities it's meant to deliver for - The Scottish Beacon
In February 2026, the UK Government and Great British Energy launched the Local Power Plan (LPP), committing "up to £1 billion" to support community-owned clean energy, with a vision that by 2030 ever...
scottishbeacon.com
Communities across Scotland are missing out on millions of pounds from wind farms because their owners are paying less than expected to locals, a Ferret investigation with the @scottishbeacon.bsky.social has found. www.scottishbeacon.com?p=8078
Communities were promised a share of Scotland’s wind boom. Some are being sold short - The Scottish Beacon
More than 20 wind farms are failing to pay an agreed amount to locals. That could cost Scottish communities over £50m. Since 2014, the Scottish Government has recommended that onshore wind developers ...
scottishbeacon.com
As a community, Balerno risks becoming a dormitory village – a place where people sleep, but don’t really live. But, by taking control of their energy Balerno is ensuring that it remains a place where people don’t just sleep, but truly live. www.scottishbeacon.com/regions/loth...
From market days to hydropower: Community Wealth Building in Balerno - The Scottish Beacon
On the second Saturday of April 2025, the main street of Balerno was unrecognisable. Where cars usually rush through to the Pentland Hills, stalls crowded the road. The sun shone, and over the course ...
scottishbeacon.com
For the people of Langholm, the Tarras Valley has always been theirs. So when the land came on the market, they rallied to do the impossible and pulled off a 10,000-acre community buy-out. This is Community Wealth Building in action: local people taking ownership of their land and their future
Rebuilding community wealth through land ownership: the story of Tarras Valley Nature Reserve - The Scottish Beacon
On the ridge line of Whita Hill, overlooking the River Esk, there are stone cairns that have stood silent witness to centuries of history. Every year, for over 250 years, the people of Langholm have r...
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When Glenfarg’s last commercial bus service vanished, it risked the viability of the village. So residents built their own. The result is a thriving community-run network – and a clear example of Community Wealth Building in action. This is how Glenfarg rebuilt its bus service – and its future:
How Glenfarg rebuilt its bus service – and its future - The Scottish Beacon
“You’re regularly told that ‘this bus has changed my life’.” Drew Smart is one of the founders and Chairman of the Glenfarg Community Transport Group (GCTG). He’s speaking from the front seat of one o...
scottishbeacon.com
Approaching the wind-buffeted island of Tiree visitors and residents are greeted by the sight of Tilley – the community-owned turbine that rises fifty metres above the Atlantic. More than a landmark, Tilley has become a symbol of what happens when a community takes its future into its own hands.
Tiree: Powering Community Wealth Building with renewable energy - The Scottish Beacon
Approaching the wind-buffeted island of Tiree after a four-hour ferry journey, visitors and residents alike are greeted by the sight of Tilley – the community-owned wind turbine that rises fifty metre...
scottishbeacon.com
On Tiree, a community-owned wind turbine has powered a decade of local investment, funding essential infrastructure and services. As Scotland debates how to embed Community Wealth Building in law, the island offers a glimpse of what that future could look like. www.scottishbeacon.com/news/tiree-p...
Tiree: Powering Community Wealth Building with renewable energy - The Scottish Beacon
Approaching the wind-buffeted island of Tiree after a four-hour ferry journey, visitors and residents alike are greeted by the sight of Tilley – the community-owned wind turbine that rises fifty metre...
scottishbeacon.com
Community Wealth Building isn’t new – Scotland’s communities have been doing it for years From rebuilt transport services to revitalised energy, Scotland need only look to its communities to see what becomes possible when people are given the power to act. www.scottishbeacon.com/news/communi...
Community Wealth Building isn’t new – Scotland’s communities have been doing it for years - The Scottish Beacon
Across Scotland, people are quietly transforming their local economies. They’re running bus services, opening community spaces, regenerating town centres and creating jobs. Whether they use the term o...
scottishbeacon.com
The Herald is this week joining forces with nine hyperlocal Scottish news titles - through @scottishbeacon.bsky.social - to look at the impact the transition to green energy is having on communities. Here, Netty Sopata, from Fios, the newspaper for North Lewis, looks at community developers👇
Scotland needs strong, connected local news. That’s why Scottish Beacon links 25 grassroots outlets, sharing resources to tell deeper, fairer stories. If you’re building local media or care about informed communities, there’s a place for you in the Beacon. 🔗 www.scottishbeacon.com/regions/the-...
The Scottish Beacon: A Collaborative Approach to Telling Scotland’s Local Stories - The Scottish Beacon
As someone who founded an independent, hyperlocal publication – Greater Govanhill magazine – I know how challenging it is to build and sustain local journalism on your own. The old commercial model no...
scottishbeacon.com
Who really wins in Scotland’s green energy revolution? The Scottish Beacon asks the hard question: as renewables boom, are communities getting left behind? “Our beautiful unspoiled land has been destroyed bit by bit. The benefits to locals are negligible.” www.scottishbeacon.com/news/local-d...
The Power Shift: Renewables, Communities and the Question of Who Really Benefits from Scotland’s Green Energy Revolution - The Scottish Beacon
Published in partnership with The Herald As the world leaders gather in Brazil, to discuss the climate catastrophe facing us at COP 30, communities here in Scotland are trying to navigate the path of ...
scottishbeacon.com
The Power Shift: Renewables, Communities and the Question of Who Really Benefits from Scotland’s Green Energy Revolution www.scottishbeacon.com?p=7836 @scottishbeacon.bsky.social
The Power Shift: Renewables, Communities and the Question of Who Really Benefits from Scotland’s Green Energy Revolution - The Scottish Beacon
Published in partnership with The Herald As the world leaders gather in Brazil, to discuss the climate catastrophe facing us at COP 30, communities here in Scotland are trying to navigate the path of ...
scottishbeacon.com
Carsphairn Seeks Balance Between Renewable Development and Rural Life With 80 percent of its land given over to forestry and wind farms, Carsphairn is carrying more than its share of Scotland’s net-zero ambitions – and locals say it’s time to find a fairer balance between energy and everyday life.
Carsphairn Seeks Balance Between Renewable Development and Rural Life - The Scottish Beacon
Published in partnership with The Herald Tucked between the Rhinns of Kells and Cairnsmore of Carsphairn, the parish of Carsphairn is the most northerly community in the Glenkens area of Dumfries & Ga...
scottishbeacon.com
Shetland News shares this report from the northwest Highlands which was published in the @scottishbeacon.bsky.social last week. @shetnews.co.uk is a founding member of the Scottish Beacon project @greatergovanhill.com @lochsidepress.bsky.social
Kinlochbervie wind farm row raises questions over transparency – not turbines - The Scottish Beacon
Locals insist they’re not against renewables, but say their voices were silenced over how the project was handled. “Nobody was allowed to ask a question.” David was talking me through the Kinlochbervi...
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We're delighted to be partnering with The Herald to shine a light on how the shift to green energy is impacting communities across Scotland.
The Herald@heraldscotland.bsky.social · 11mo agoThis week, The Herald is joining forces with @scottishbeacon.bsky.social - a journalism network that brings together community-based news publications to work on shared projects - to shine a light on how the shift to green energy is impacting communities across Scotland 🏴 MORE 👇
The first of our articles in the #PowerShift series by the @scottishbeacon.bsky.social www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2...
Who really benefits from Scotland’s green energy revolution?
Across Scotland, communities question who profits from the green energy boom as foreign ownership rises and local benefits fail to materialise.
heraldscotland.com
Despite over-abundant renewable energy in Orkney, households are facing rising fuel poverty and soaring electricity bills — a “great energy heist” driven by outdated grid systems and unbalanced energy markets. Publication: @theorkneynews.bsky.social www.scottishbeacon.com/news/local-d...
The Great Energy Heist - The Scottish Beacon
Orkney has a long history in the use of renewable sources of energy. In 1955 a wind turbine erected on the summit of Costa Head was connected up to the Orkney Grid. People in Orkney had been using wi...
scottishbeacon.com
“Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to make upwards of $10 billion. Such a flagrant attack on workers’ rights...sends a very clear and shocking message to the world, that money matters more than people.” - Chair of the Independent Workers' Union GB www.scottishbeacon.com/news/communi...
Protests held after Rockstar games accused of ‘union busting’ - The Scottish Beacon
Edinburgh-based game developers, Rockstar Games, have been accused of ‘union busting’ after over 30 members of staff were fired last Friday, leading to a protest yesterday outside their Edinburgh offi...
scottishbeacon.com
Edinburgh charity launches Christmas Card Campaign to curb loneliness this winter From: @edinreporter.bsky.social Vintage Vibes invites you to spread festive cheer and tackle loneliness by sending a personalised card to someone living alone in the city. www.scottishbeacon.com/news/communi...
Energy in Shetland: what's next for the islands? Publication: @shetnews.co.uk Shetland’s first ever energy-development drop-in session invites residents to learn about future energy proposals and help shape Shetland’s energy landscape on 9 September. 🔗 www.scottishbeacon.com/news/social-...
Energy in Shetland: what’s next for the islands? - The Scottish Beacon
People will get the rare chance to hear from a range of energy developers in the same room in what is being described as Shetland’s first collaborative engagement session on future projects. Represent...
scottishbeacon.com
Fringe 2025: new crime thriller at Edinburgh Deaf Festival Publication: @edinreporter.bsky.social A tense new crime thriller premieres at the Edinburgh Deaf Festival during Fringe 2025, offering a fully accessible performance in BSL and English for both deaf and hearing audiences.
Fringe 2025: new crime thriller at Edinburgh Deaf Festival – also for hearing audiences - The Scottish Beacon
Audiences for BBC’s The Reunion and ITV’s thriller Code of Silence were intrigued by these British Sign Language dramas and the insight into life as deaf person. Now a new crime thriller performed by ...
scottishbeacon.com
Explore low-carbon futures at Orkney International Science Festival The programme includes visits to Burgar Hill to learn directly from the skilled efforts of communities – past and present – in building a sustainable and resilient Orkney. Find out more 🔗 www.scottishbeacon.com/news/environ...
