Fiona is new Sutherland Partnership manager
Fiona Mackenzie, new appointment
SUTHERLAND Partnership has appointed a Development Officer who will be involved with helping community groups and organisations with projects identified in the Sutherland Development and Action Plan.
Fiona Mackenzie, originally from Caithness, has been appointed to the post and will support groups and organisations to implement projects that will benefit Sutherland communities.
Since graduating in 2001 with an MA (Hons) in History she has worked in a number of Scottish Government departments and agencies spending four years working within Historic Scotland’s Inspectorate. Having completed an MSc in Sustainable Rural Development at the University of Aberdeen she returned to the north of Scotland spending a year with Scottish Natural Heritage in Orkney conducting reviews of Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
In her new role Fiona will be co-ordinating and supporting the delivery of the Sutherland Development and Action Plan. The Action Plan is the result of a series of events led by the voluntary sector and supported by Sutherland Partnership partners. These events, beginning with the Sutherland Summit in September 2009, engaged the Sutherland community through a series of consultation events. The result of which is the Action Plan, which was launched in September last year by John Thurso MP at the Sutherland Partnership AGM.
The Action Plan identifies a series of actions to achieve economic, social and environmental benefits for Sutherland. Over the coming months Fiona will be contacting Community Councils and meeting with Local Development Officers to learn more about what is happening in the area. Fiona said “Having grown up in the North Highlands I have always been aware of the unique challenges which affect rural areas and I am looking forward to working with local communities to bring about projects which will benefit the area”.
The Development Officer post is a full-time two year post funded by the Scottish Government and the European Community Highland LEADER 2007-2013 Programme, Highland Council and Scottish Natural Heritage.
