This project seeks to encourage the regeneration of networks of towns using a hands-on approach. It focuses on the need for bottom-up planning, with each town seeking to advance through the work of voluntary groups drawn from the local business and community sectors. Progress in participating towns can be benchmarked from their differing starting positions on three broad dimensions. Shared project officers will facilitate and service the local volunteer groups. The project also includes a community chest of seed finance that the local initiatives can draw on to kick-start modest priority projects of a social, economic or environmental nature. Local interaction and trans-national dissemination will be promoted through a Towns Forum and dedicated web-site. Achievements: • Local people surveyed to determine thier wishes and vision for the future • Transnational Conference held in Finland, which included a Steering Committee meeting • 20 Community Chest grants have been awarded, totalling just over €33000, for projects worth €193,000. These range from creation of a web site to environmental improvements through to support for a village officer. • Work commenced on the organisation of the Highland Transnational Conference • Discussions have taken place on a Swedish / Scottish exchange of Project Officers and initial discussions on sending a Highland Officer to Central Finland for an exchange • A newsletter has been produced describing the work of the project and sent to a variety of people / bodies with an interest in the project • A simple measuring procedure to monitor the progress of the Network towns has been completed by the various towns • New events and marketing campaigns undertaken • A draft has been prepared of a document containing Visions for the various small towns. • Project website established, press releases issued, several presentations of project given to decision-makers