This is the News page for Ardgour Development Trust
February 2025 Update
The Ardgour Glensanda Development Trust (ADGT) continues to drive forward key community projects outlined in the Ardgour Place Plan. We are pleased to share the latest updates on our work and encourage all residents to engage with us to help shape the future of our community.
Ardgour Hall Funding News – the Place Plan identified the importance of having a focal point for the Ardgour/Clovullin community, and given the shortage of funding available at present for new builds, we have been working with the Ardgour Hall Committee to help keep the Ardgour Hall wind and watertight. We are pleased to announce that our Development Officer has succeed in securing just over £21,000 SSE from the Renewables Hydro Community Fund, towards the cost of replacing the soffits and gutters and repairing the roof. This will be phase one of several planned improvements to the Hall. To find out more, help with a work party, or join the committee, come and join the Ardgour Hall AGM on the 12th March at 7pm.
ADGT Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Our AGM will take place on Tuesday 14th May, 7pm, at Treslaig Hall. This is a key opportunity for members of the public to hear about our work, ask questions, and get involved in the future of the Trust. Everyone is welcome! We will also be proposing a resolution to update our constitution so it will be important for residents to come along to vote.
Community Events Page – Get Involved!
We are excited to have launched a dedicated Community Events Page on our website. This provides a central place for sharing local events, ensuring that both residents and visitors can stay up to date with what’s happening. We encourage all local community groups to make use of this resource.
Event link: www.ardgourcommunitiestogether.net/community-events
If you would like us to share your events, please get in touch via our Facebook or Instagram pages.
Community groups are also welcome to have their very own profile on the website—please contact us to add yours!
Follow Us on Instagram!
We are now on Instagram! This is a great way to stay informed about community news, events, and updates from the Trust. Follow us and help spread the word so we can reach as many people as possible. Find us at: @ArdgourGlensanda_DT
January 2024 Update
Having appointed James Hilder as the new part time Development Officer last Autumn, and most recently, Becky Drinkwater of Ardnamurchan Marketing, to assist with communications and membership, the ADGT is now working to take forward some of the projects highlighted in the Ardgour Place Plan.
Ardgour can proudly say that it was only the second Community Council in the whole Highland area to complete the Place Planning process and to have the plan adopted by Highland Council, - so far only 8 place plans have been adopted in total - we are trailblazers! Thank you everyone who contributed.
The Place Plan is a document for everyone to use whether trying to progress a business or community project. Whilst some of the community aspirations in the plan are firmly in the hands of the Community Council, others are being progressed via the Trust with local groups, using the four heading used in the Plan.
Services and Facilities -
Dail Mhor – the Trust is lending support to the lobbying efforts of the five community councils and Urram to try to get NHS Highland to reconsider their position on the closure of Dail Mhor with several meetings held with Kate Forbes MSP and other stakeholders.
Childcare – we have enabled James to work with Urram and the Ardnamurchan Childcare Action Group who have successfully raised money for a detailed feasibility study supported by Highlands & Islands Enterprise, to examine ways of improving childcare and Pre-3’s nursery provision locally and consultants have been commissioned.
Treslaig and Ardgour Village Halls have received support with almost £60,000 of grant applications submitted – either for energy efficiency and solar panels or repairs.
We have also supported Ardgour Village Hall with a wee bit of assistance to streamline booking and invoicing ahead of their financial year end and scoping work is being done to prepare a development plan for the next phase of major improvements to this important asset – including resolving the legal ownership of the property.
Better connections -
Preliminary research has been carried out on the footpaths around North Corran and Clovullin to see how the current network could be improved and what funding is currently available, with similar scoping being done for cycling infrastructure improvements at Camusnagaul watch out for news of local meetings.
Community, culture and landscape -
We are now starting to contact every local community group in the CC area to offer them a free space on the Ardgour Communities Together website which is also where you will find updates on the work of the Trust.
We have begun work to develop a “What’s on” Webpage and Facebook facility via the ADGT website and social media to complement the local Whatsapp groups but also for visitors to the area.
We are also continuing to sign up as many residents as possible as Members of the Trust – remember its totally FREE and helps us with accessing funding for the area, and an “Associate
Member” category is being added to our constitution to enable non-residents such as friends, family and visitors to join.
We have started the legal processes to look at acquiring the land between the Hall and Primary School for amenity use, and exploring the possibility of having a multi-use games area beside the school.
With assistance from Mary-Ann Kennedy we also submitted an application for a Gaelic version of the “Geo-tourist” Trail around Ardgour which was sadly rejected we will try again!
Affordable homes for -
Meetings have been held with Ardgour, Conaglen and Kingairloch Estates to share thoughts on possible developments, including land for future housing over the long term.
Legal and fundraising work has been begun on trying to acquire land beside Ardgour Primary School to progress 6 new affordable housing units, although Scottish Government funding for new housing is severely limited and new houses may take several years to complete.
For regular updates please see the website or social media post and sign up for Membership at https://www.ardgourcommunitiestogether.net/new-page
November 2024 Trustee Meeting
The Trustees met on Wednesday 13th November for the quarterly meeting.
We are pleased to say that work on the place plan priorities is ongoing and our Development Officer, James Hilder, has a number of irons in the fire. More new on outcomes as things progress.
Trustees were asked to agree changes to the constitution to conform to funders. This is still to be finalised.
A broad discussion was held on parameters for some of the work being undertaken with everyone contributing.
We are still awaiting confirmation from Aggregate Industries on the continuation of the community benefit payments, so unfortunately have not discussed the future of grant funding to local groups which is currently in abeyance
Community Development Officer
Ardgour Place Plan
We are delighted to be able to announce the appointment of James Hilder as part-time development officer with the Trust.
James will be working 21 hours a week from mid August.
We are very excited have a paid development officer to take forward projects decided on by you, as a Community, via the place plan.
The trustees met last week to discuss priorities and you will be hearing more on this in the near future. Some of the ideas will be passed to the Community Council to take forward and this process is underway.
James will be looking for volunteers from the community to assist with projects, with their local knowledge and interest so please get in touch at any point if you might be able to help.
This project was part funded by the Community regeneration Fund delivered by HC and the Scottish Government, Ardgour Community Council and the Ardgour Glensanda Development Trust.
