In 1999 Boyndie Trust formed, to take forward a plan to provide development and job coaching for adults with special needs, and create local employment. Aberdeenshire Council gifted a former school to Boyndie Trust. The Trust has developed the Victorian building into a modern Visitor Centre, which opened in 2004, attracts 45,000 visitors a year and is home to a four-star restaurant, gift shop, garden centre, and workshops.
This social enterprise provides training opportunities for 60 unemployed people, and paid employment for fifteen staff. In 2012 The Trust will undertake a major expansion of its retail space and training facilities.
Widespread local fundraising enabled Boyndie Trust to lever £600k from other sources, for the project. Banffshire Partnership assisted Boyndie Trust throughout the vital early years, helping the Board get funding to employ a project manager, develop a business plan, apply for capital funding, and negotiate a Service Level Agreement with Aberdeenshire Council.
Around two thirds of The Trust’s £300k annual income now comes through the Visitor Centre’s tills, the remaining third comes from the SLA.
As Boyndie Trust has grown and developed, there has been continued need for support, capacity building and signposting, allowing their board to maximize opportunities. Banffshire Partnership has continued to be a vital resource of knowledge for Boyndie Trust directors and staff, and now, the cascade of knowledge is often in the reverse direction, with Banffshire Partnership bringing newer social enterprises, or proposed projects, into contact with Boyndie Trust.
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