Strengthening communities is an increasingly pivotal part of Highlands and Islands Enterprise's (HIE) strategy. This is the message HIE chair, William Roe, will give when he opens the Development Trusts Association Scotland's annual conference today [11 June 2007] in Dumfries.

Mr Roe will tell the 150-strong audience that HIE believes in integrated grass roots-up rural development because the social and economic infrastructures in the Highlands and Islands are interlinked.

"HIE has long been an advocate of community development and is keen to see it evolve," says Mr Roe. "In fact, 30 years ago when HIE was in its previous incarnation - the Highlands and Islands Development Board - we were uniquely involved with developing the community co-operative, which was essentially an early model of social enterprise; a movement that we strongly support today.

"Helping communities to provide services and develop infrastructure for themselves is a major part of what we do at HIE and supporting community development is also something we have gained nationwide recognition for."

Last year, HIE won a bid to deliver the £50m Growing Community Assets (GCA) fund, which is managed with a consortium of partners on behalf of the Big Lottery Fund for the whole of Scotland.

The HIE chair's speech will highlight the huge growth in community development trusts across the Highlands and Islands over the past decade as well as the number of community land acquisitions.

"From individual plots to estates and islands, there has been a total of 138 community land buyouts in the last 10 years," Mr Roe says.

Mr Roe will also discuss the importance of renewable energy projects and the central role arts and culture plays in community development, particularly in island communities.

"The importance of community-led arts and culture cannot be underestimated, particularly in a relatively disparate region like the Highlands and Islands," says Mr Roe.

"Thriving and dynamic communities are at the heart of rural - and urban - regeneration. To achieve more economically, culturally and environmentally, community development is an absolutely essential element of 21st century life in Scotland today."

Link to Development Trusts Association's (Scotland) website