Community Trust
What does the Trust do ?
The Trust owns, manages and operates various community assets - the village hall, the play park and the football field. It also raises finance for a number of village events and community groups such as Gala Day, Bonfire Night, the Village Lunch, Wee Tea Books & a Blether, to name but a few. And it plays a leading role in the preparation of Gartmore's Community Action Plan and executing the initiatives arising from that plan - some large, some small (click for more).
None of this would be possible without the many volunteers who offer up their time and expertise every year to assist the Trust and its Board - a big
THANK YOU.
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Objectives
The formal aims of the Trust is to work in partnership with the community to shape the future of Gartmore and its environs :
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To manage community land and associated assets for the benefit of the Community and the public in general as an important part of the protection and sustainable development of Scotland’s natural environment
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To promote, establish and operate schemes of a charitable nature for the benefit of the residents of the Community
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To provide within the Community facilities for recreation and other leisure time occupation available to the public at large with a view to improving their conditions of life.
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To promote for the public benefit the preservation (whether wholly or in part) of buildings and other structures of historic and/or architectural significance located within the Community
The Legal Stuff
The trust was formed in 2002 and is now registered as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation regulated by OSCR (SC033887).
Trustees meet monthly and members meet annually at the trust's AGM (usually between June & August).
Trust Constitution
Latest Accounts and OSCR filing
Our Trustees
The Trust board consists entirely of volunteer trustees (click below for current trustee biographies). Trustees initially serve a 3 year term then step down by rotation. They can then stand for re-election at the annual AGM or new trustees can be elected in their place.
Katie has been a trustee for 3 years and is currently the Chair. She also looks after maintenance of the village hall so if anything is broken you know who to call. She is a Practising Small Animal Emergency Vet, clinical teacher and examiner. Previously a member of the RCVS Professional Regulation Committee. Owner of a self-catering tourism cabin in Gartmore. Outdoor interests include walking, cycling and horse riding.
Vicky is a long standing trustee (15 years) and is currently the Secretary. She is a retired teacher and long-term Gartmore resident, with theatrical interests.
Stephen has been a trustee for 3 years and is currently the Treasurer. He is the founder of price comparison website www.cardswitcher.co.uk, was previously Chief Financial Officer of WorldPay plc and held various mergers & acquisitions roles within the financial services and media sectors. He is interested in software development and most sports, currently mainly tennis & golf.
Gerry has been a trustee for around 15 years and is currently the Vice-Chair. He is a trained counsellor with over 30 years’ experience in Personal & Community Development. Gerry has used these skills and other therapeutic interventions with children, young people and adults living in chaotic circumstances throughout the UK, USA, South Africa and Ireland. Before freelancing in publishing as an editor, writer and researcher, Gerry worked as Communication Officer in Westminster politics. In May 2022 Gerry was elected to Stirling Council and also sits on the Board of Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park Authority.
Fiona has been a trustee for 2 years and is responsible for the trust's marketing efforts with a focus on weddings. She is a retired teacher and current owner of Dreamcatchers Cabins ( https://dreamcatcherscabins.co.uk). Her hobbies include travelling , swimming , walking and spending time with family and friends.
Jennifer has been a trustee since 2021 and looks after the village hall bookings and invoicing. She began her career in veterinary medicine before co-founding Myrror (https://myrrorapp.com), a beauty treatment tracking app.
Colin became a trustee in 2021. He is a semi- retired lapsed chartered accountant of 40 years. Well travelled , interested in all music, cinema, and arts in general . Now enjoying time in the area.
Kelly has been a trustee since 2021 and currently looks after all of the supplies for the village hall. She is also a Business Analyst within financial services and If that wasn't enough work, she also runs a small business designing and producing items for both independent and wholesale customers which runs from Gartmore Village Hall. Interests include interior design, DIY and gardening.
Kitti is a specialist in hospitality and events management and has managed many prestigious local venues. She is currently the General Manager of Gartmore's Black Bull Inn.
Angie Newton grew up in a small village in Dorset, going to a primary school with just two classes - Little'uns and Big'uns. She followed a career in Botany, specialising in moss evolution, that took her to a PhD at Duke University in North Carolina, and work in a range of tropical countries, from Papua New Guinea to Mexico. After landing up in the big city, at the Natural History Museum in London, she found she had had enough of managers and commuting, and headed for the hills. She has lived in Gartmore since 2010, with John and their two cats, Ben and Harry. She now spends as much time as possible outdoors, walking, gardening, or in the wood.
Our Projects
In 2014, one of the village's most prominent buildings, the village hall, underwent a total refurbishment at a cost of over £1 million. Whilst the work itself took over 12 months, the project took over 10 years to plan and fund raise. It was transformed from a dilapidated, ageing structure to one of Scotland's most contemporary, fit for purpose village halls, whilst retaining much of its traditional charm.
The village's play park was full of dated equipment, unsuitable for younger children and the 2012 Community Action Plan determined that an upgrade was a key village priority. In 2016/17 approximately £100,000 was raised and the play park was redeveloped with new equipment and a 'Sensory Garden'. Today, toddler groups from around the local area quite often congregate in Gartmore to use the 'best childrens park in the Trossachs'.
In 2019, the community purchased the centuries old village pub (The Black Bull) and refurbished it during the 2020 pandemic. The Trust was pleased to support this community venture with a share investment of £5,000.
Creation and fundraising for a bike shelter outside the village hall promoting the village as a stop off point for cyclists on the nearby Sustrans 7 cycle network.
Creation & fundraising for a weekly Table Tennis club for children and adults equipped with 2 brand new table tennis tables.
The creation of a multi-use games area ("MUGA") within Gartmore has been a top priority for the community spanning the last 2 Community Action Plans dating back to 2012. This would provide children and adults with a much needed purpose built space for tennis, football, hockey, basketball and netball. In 2021, work began to explore making the community's ambition a reality with a wide reaching community consultation which endorsed the Trust's plans.
Another priority arising from the Community Action Plan was the desire to acquire surrounding woodland for the community. In 2021, the Trust undertook a project to research and lodge a Community Right to Buy application for 2 pieces of nearby woodland. This work included a feasibility study of the woodland management options by consultant's "Community Woodlands Association" which makes for interesting reading - click to view.
Community Action Plans ("CAPs")
Every 5 years, the National Park embarks on a consultation exercise with local communities to help them determine and document their development priorities for their communities and environment. The Trust plays a leading role in facilitating this exercise and implementing the initiatives arising from it. The most recent CAPs were undertaken in 2013 and 2018 (below) and the next CAP will be undertaken in 2023, albeit its name will be changing to a "People Place Plan".
Get Involved
We are always keen to get new faces involved with the Trust and there many ways that you can be involved :
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Maybe you have a specific skill-set that could be useful - for example (but not limited to) property maintenance, grass cutting, financial management, marketing, event organisation, etc
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Maybe you just want to help out generally - set up events, take party in re-painting the village hall, run a bar at an event, etc
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Maybe you want to join the Board and become a Trustee. Trustees meet once a month, 10 times per year) and normally take on some other duties managing the Trust or the Village Hall. Trustees are elected annually at the AGM and the Trust welcomes any volunteers who wish to get involved in improving their community.
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Maybe you want to become a Trust Member, enabling you to attend our annual AGM and vote on member matters. Trust membership is free and is open to adults (18 and over) living or working in the Gartmore Community Council area.
No matter how you want to get involved, we'd love to hear from you. Contact our Chair at : gartmorecommunitytrust@gmail.com