People passionate about rural communities in East Renfrewshire and further afield are being sought for an action group.

Greater Renfrewshire and Inverclyde (GRI) stretches 30 miles of rural land and communities across the three local authorities of East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.

Now, the economic development teams at the three councils are looking for volunteers to form a Local Action Group (LAG) and champion thriving rural communities across the area.

Keren Ferguson, senior economic development officer at Renfrewshire Council, said: "It's a fantastic opportunity for people who care about their communities to come together and be at the forefront of decision making for rural development and regeneration.

"Group members will pool their skills and experience to develop a community led vision and help generate ideas and co-produce projects which benefit people in rural communities across the three council areas."

Around 94,000 people live across the area, which includes Eaglesham, Neilston and Uplawmoor in East Renfrewshire, as well as the many villages in Renfrewshire and Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.

There is excellent economic opportunities in farming, forestry and renewable energy, carbon sequestration, outdoor leisure activity, tourism and village development.

Keren added: "Greater Renfrewshire and Inverclyde has great rural communities already and the local action group will strengthen them even further by ensuring they remain resilient and benefit from new funding opportunities.

"Our staff team will be there to support the group as they implement national priorities such as tackling rural poverty, achieving net zero and recovering from the economic and social impact of the pandemic.

"We want the group to have a great mix of skills and be as diverse as possible, so they are fully representative of their communities.

"We're particularly keen to hear from young people, people who have experience of disability or disadvantage and from people with experience in business or in project development.

"Most importantly, we want to hear from people who are resourceful and creative and passionate about helping rural communities to thrive."

Anyone interested can email econdev@renfrewshire.gov.uk with the subject line 'LAG Membership' to find out more and ask for an application pack.

Applications close on Friday, December 9 and the new group will be confirmed by early 2023.