YES campaign groups across Scotland have vowed to continue their activism despite the vote against independence.

The Yes movement was characterised by a diverse range of grass-roots groups which sprang up to promote independence, totalling around 300 local groups and 50 sectoral organisations.

Now groups have said they will be continuing their work to make sure the voice of local communities continues to be heard and to hold the No campaign to account for the pledges made in the run-up to the referendum.

Tasmina Sheikh of Scots Asians for Yes said the referendum had offered an opportunity for people from different political perspectives to come together in a common cause.

"What we have seen is a momentum we simply cannot lose - we must retain the political engagement," she said. "We will be having a meeting in the next week to decide how that continues.

"What has happened as a result of this referendum is that communities have felt - perhaps for the first time ever - that they have something to offer and that their voice counts and their vote counts."

She added: "I am still hugely excited and inspired about where we are and determined this will continue. This is very much the beginning of a national conversation that has started, and we have no intention of losing the momentum."

The exact number involved in Scots Asians for Yes - which does not operate a membership system - is unknown, but Sheikh said one event at a mosque in Glasgow had attracted around 1000 people.

She added: "We still have challenges that face us and even in terms of the elections coming up, we want to make sure that our parliament and our council chambers are made up of people that best reflect Scottish society. People from the different religious communities and different diverse cultural communities have an awful lot to offer.

"I know the people of Scotland will be looking for that to be translated into representation at the highest level in political and public life in Scotland."

Pro-independence group Business for Scotland, which has more than 3000 members, will also be continuing its campaign. It was first set up in 1996 to campaign for devolution, then re-formed in March 2013 to push for independence.

Founder and chief executive Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp said: "We are incredibly disappointed, we had hoped for a win. But most of all we are disappointed in the fact we have missed the opportunity of a lifetime.

"There are so many powers that could have done so much for Scotland's economy that are now either uncertain or just not coming."

MacIntyre-Kemp said the organisation would be meeting in the near future to shape plans for the way forward. It was in the process of drawing up policy suggestions to influence government.

He said a key aspect of the group would also be ensuring the No campaign delivered on the promise of extra powers for Scotland which had "won the referendum".

He said: "The Scottish people said you are giving us some form of devo-max and there is a timetable for it - that is what swayed the vote.

"If the timetable is not delivered, or if it falls apart, then as far as we are concerned it is our job to hold the Westminster parties to the contract they made with the Scottish people.

"We will do everything we can to help and advise and get the best deal for Scotland."

He added: "Because sections of our society were scared, in terms of economic powers and in terms of job-creating powers, we have agreed to accept the crumbs off Westminster's table when we were tantalising close to having access to the whole menu."

The Radical Independence Campaign is holding a conference in Glasgow on November 22. Co-founder Jonathon Shafi said since announcing the event on Friday, around 2500 people have indicated they would like to attend.

He said: "We are meeting as a campaign over the coming weeks to deliberate on the central themes of this year's conference.

"But the message that we want to send is we are not going away and we are going to intensify our organisation and we are going to be making sure we do everything within our power to ensure that Labour are wiped out in working-class Scotland.

"All of the working-class ­communities who voted by big margins for Yes have been betrayed by Labour."

He added the group had been "inundated" with people wanting to become involved in the campaign since the No vote.

"We have been inundated with email, tweets, social media interaction - literally thousands of people have been in contact with us," he said.