The Boyndie Trust

The Trust serves the whole community of Boyndie – covering a twenty mile radius of Banff/Macduff, and inland to Turriff and Fyvie – with a particular focus on adults with disabilities or other special needs.

Our area has a pollution of circa 20,000.

The Boyndie Trust is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status

Membership is open to anyone who falls within one of five categories, with the majority of these being community categories.

Service user involvement has also played an important part in the success of the Centre. Beneficiaries sit on the Trust and were consulted, and continue to be, about the design and implementation of services.

A board of directors is elected via a standard ‘AGM’ process.

The Boyndie Trust was established in 1999 by a group of local people to ensure the broad-based regeneration of the area, including the employability and well-being of people who are disadvantaged in the labour market. The Trust owns and has converted a beautiful red-brick Victorian school building into a visitor centre which attracts 35,000 visitors a year. The centre boasts a four star restaurant, gift shop, plant nursery, textiles workshop, joinery business and office space. Together these provide training opportunities for 70 people, many who have special needs, and paid employment for a further 30 people. Products from the textile and joinery workshops and plants from the nursery are sold at the centre and under contract to local organisations.

Volunteers           –                70

Staff                         –                30

Circa £300,000 per annum – 100% of all income is derived from trading

Our assets include The Old School Building, from which the Trust and Visitor Centre operates. Its value is circa £500k.

The Boyndie Trust is well connected to a range of local organisations and businesses, many of whom are suppliers or regular customers

The Trust is committed to working with the statutory, private, voluntary and community sectors. It is currently working with Aberdeenshire Council, SCVO, and Banffshire Partnership. The Trust is also a member of DTA Scotland.

Aberdeenshire Council donated an old school that needed considerable upgrading. Through grants and local fundraising, The Trust has developed the building as a Visitor Centre and social enterprise hub that attracts around  35,000 visitors a year (both local people and tourists). The centre houses a four star “destination” restaurant, gift shop, plant nursery, textiles workshop, joinery business and office space.

The Trust provides training opportunities for around 70 people, many of whom have special needs. Trainees report not just learning new skills, but heightened self-worth, integration into their community, and pride in being part of a success. The Trust uses local suppliers wherever possible and so has had a positive impact on the local economy.

In addition, we provide work placement training for around 70 unemployed adults with learning disabilities and paid employment for a further 30 people. Provides an extensive recreation area and gardens including a “walk” to the wind turbines.

All business activity and charitable aims are intrinsically linked, so there has been no need to set up a separate trading arm.

• Accessing funding and fundraising to upgrade and develop the old school into a Visitor Centre with four enterprises.
• Creating jobs for 30 people and training opportunities for round 70 unemployed folk /people with special needs.
• Becoming 100% funded through our own income streams.
• Receiving a 4 star award from the Scottish Tourist Board.

The process of raking Boyndie from a concept, through to a fully developed project, then accessing funding and finally starting the real work – took almost five years.

We have sought to keep things simple – find out what our customers want and provide it to a high standard, make a profit – and then achieve charitable aims with the income.

The importance of building – a truly mutually beneficial partnership – cannot be overstated. The magic lies in a harmonious mix of people working together towards a common purpose.

Moving forward, we are to gradually enhance and expand our services and facilities as and when demand requires. In doing so, we hope to find more ways of accessing individuals who could benefit from Boyndie expertise and charitable aims.

The Old School, Boyndie, Banff, Aberdeenshire,  AB45 2JT