Rose Grant

I have been on the Black Isle Tourism Team steering group since 2017, working with other volunteers (including TBI’s Julian Paren) towards a more sustainable local tourism strategy. In early 2021, I joined Martin Sherring and Julie Gibson to work together on the National Lottery Community Fund bid led by Keep Scotland Beautiful to set up a potential Highland Community Waste Partnership (HCWP). I first got involved with my Black Isle Tourism Team hat on but also because waste issues are of great personal interest (and frustration) to me.

I knew the partnership would be a fantastic project if it went ahead and I was really impressed with Keep Scotland Beautiful’s vision of bringing together different community groups from across the Highlands to deliver a large-scale grassroots behaviour change project. It was very exciting when we found out the bid had been successful. It will be an ambitious programme with lots of practical elements too, aiming to make it easier for communities to initiate climate conversations and set up waste solutions that are finally fit for purpose for the rural highlands given the unique challenges we face. Transition Black Isle is in a great position to deliver the partnership objectives and there will be great mutual benefits in doing so.

To cut a long story short(er), I will be representing TBI on the management team of the HCWP with Keep Scotland Beautiful throughout the 3 year programme and will act as a liaison between our new Project Officer and the TBI board. I am excited to be joining the trustees in this role.

From a personal standpoint, in my previous life before starting a family, my background is in marketing, PR, change communications and events. However, I recently completed Impact Economy Advisor training with ‘Scotland Can B’, and I am obsessed with B-Corps and the ‘business as a force for good’ movement as well as ways to assess and measure impact.

I have experienced first hand the value of volunteering, whether it is in meeting new people, keeping skills updated (during a career break in my case) or making a more positive impact within your local community.

I’m keen to help forge better links between businesses and community groups on the Black Isle, and encourage more people to benefit from the experience of volunteering - whilst also using their skills (and time) to drive forward the changes that need to happen -  for our planet and for society. I am also passionate about creating paid jobs where possible and have been delighted to have been part of the funding bid that has led to our new HCWP Project Officer.

I’m proud to be joining Transition Black Isle as a new trustee - we are all on a journey to improve our impact on the planet. Nobody is perfect just yet, we all have areas we are doing well at and areas we are not - plus some areas that we can’t address without government support to make it a fairer transition for all. Everyone is welcome on this journey and I’m looking forward to working with our project officer to find new ways our community can help each other to become more resilient in the face of climate change.