Walkerburn Community Development Trust

 

Walkerburn is a small community on the A72 half way between Peebles and Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. It sits on the banks of the River Tweed and is surrounded by the Tweed Valley Forest Park and is an area known around the world for Salmon Fishing, Hill Walking and Mountain Biking.

The Trust was set up in 2005 during the final year of a 3 year period as a European Transitional Regeneration Area. The aims of the Trust are to continue and develop the regeneration work started over the previous two years through various projects.  For 2 years up until March 2011 the trust had a development officer funded as part of the Powerdown project looking at ways of reducing the carbon footprint of the village, working with both individuals and groups within the Community. The Trust has considered purchasing and redeveloping the Church of Scotland building which was closed at the end of May 2009, however the cost of any scheme and the effect it might have on any future need for funding for other projects resulted in a decision, taken in April 2010, not to proceed. In conjunction with the local Council for Voluntary Services (The Bridge), a Community Action Plan was developed in 2010 to take Walkerburn forward in a direction decided by the whole community. The overall aim of the Trust is to serve the community by helping to make Walkerburn a great place to work rest and play.

The Trust is a recognised Scottish Charity and a Company Limited by Guarantee. There are currently 5 members of the community serving on the Board of Directors and membership is open to anyone over the age of 18, living within the EH43 postcode and registered on the Electoral Roll for the area.

An application form to join the trust is available by clicking here

The aims of the trust:

 

Walkerburn Community Development Trust exists :

1. To provide in the interests of social welfare, facilities within the Walkerburn community, for recreation and other leisure time occupation available to the public at large

2. To advance education and in particular to promote opportunities for learning for the benefit of the general public

3. To help young people, particularly those resident in the Walkerburn community, to develop their physical, mental and spiritual capacities, such that they may grow to full maturity as individuals and as members of society

4. To preserve, restore and improve the environment in the Walkerburn area through the provision, maintenance and/or improvement of public open space and other public amenities and other environmental and regeneration projects (but subject to appropriate safeguards to ensure that the public benefits so arising clearly outweigh any private benefit thereby conferred on private landowners

5. To promote, establish, operate and/or support other schemes and projects of a charitable nature for the benefit of the community within Walkerburn

 

The above is an extract from the memorandum of association of the WCDT