BRDT 2023 AGM - 20 December 2023

Date: Sunday 3 December

Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust (BRDT) is to hold its AGM on Wednesday, December 20th, 2023 at 6pm in Rattray Bowling Club.

The meeting was previously scheduled to have taken place in October after a showcase event highlighting the work community groups and organisations are doing in the east Perthshire town. However, both events were cancelled due to extreme weather conditions at the time.

As well as the formal business, which will include reports by BRDT’s chair and the treasurer and the election of trustees, there will also be an update on the new structure of organisation, which has been in development for a number of months, and an outline of the Trust’s plans for 2024.

The AGM is open to members of the public (although only members of the Trust can vote on any decisions), so anyone who wishes to find out more about the work of the trust has the opportunity to do so. There is a proposed change to the Articles to amend membership fees to be set annually by the Directors. The current proposal is to make membership free and renewed annually to keep the list up to date. Existing lifetime members will remain memebrs for life or until they opt out. It will be possible for people to join the Trust on the evening.  

Teresa Donaldson, the current chair of BRDT, is looking forward to the meeting. She said “We were disappointed to have to cancel the town event and our AGM in October due to the extreme weather but it was absolutely the right decision to have taken at the time; people’s safety is paramount.

“We are currently looking at possible options for re-arranging the town event in the spring next year, but in the meantime we will be holding our AGM on Wednesday, December 20th in Rattray Bowling Club and would encourage as many people as possible to join us for that.

“It is a great opportunity for people to come along, get an update on what is happening and let us know their thoughts.

“BRDT’s work is led by the community for the community and aims to have a positive impact. We work with and support local people, community groups, businesses and the local authority to help create a thriving and attractive town, with a strong sense of community and identity, appealing to those who live, work and visit Blairgowrie and Rattray.

“We also have a number of core projects that we lead on, including the HEAT Project, Booklore, the BaRI Food Project and Rattray Community Garden which aim to contribute to improving the environmental sustainability of the town for the benefit of all.

“At the AGM we will look back over what has been achieved over the last 12 months and ahead to what is coming up over the next 12 and we would be delighted if as many people as possible came along to find out more.”

Teresa continued: “Groups and organisations often see a change in personnel around the time of their AGMs, and this year BRDT is no exception.

“Two of our long-standing trustees have stood down – Linda Retson, who coordinates Booklore, the pre-loved book shop run by BRDT, and William Wilson, who has been instrumental in the development of the new Rattray Community Garden. Community engagement officer Sam Stewart has also decided to step down.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank Linda, William and Sam for all the good work they have done on behalf of the Trust and for the wider community – their dedication, time, effort and commitment to Blairgowrie and Rattray are great examples of what makes our town such a wonderful place to live and work in.

“We have also welcomed a new Trustee to the Board recently, Linda Tait. Linda grew up in Canada, has lived most of her adult life in London and Hertfordshire and spent 40 years as a retail and hospitality designer in Toronto and then London, before moving to Blairgowrie last year. Her experience, energy and enthusiasm are going to be a great asset to BRDT and we are looking forward to working with her.”

Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the AGM should contact the Trust by emailing admin@discoverblairgowrie.co.uk

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