Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust volunteers thanked for efforts
Date: Friday 10 October
Image courtesy of Clare McMicking / CraicN Communications
The dedicated and hardworking volunteers who give their time, skills and commitment to supporting Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust’s core projects were thanked for their efforts at a special event held in Rattray Community Garden on Saturday, September 27th.
Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust (BRDT) hosted the garden party as a token of appreciation of the 180 volunteers who make a positive difference in the town across a varied range of projects.
Those gathered enjoyed tours of the garden, a fantastic spread of food and drink, and a chance to get together with other volunteers from other projects.
BRDT’s core projects include the BaRI Food Project – including the BaRI Food and Refill Store and the Saturday and Wednesday Lunch Clubs - which aims to reach people through food, reducing food waste and costs, and encourage growing more food locally; popular second-hand bookshop Booklore which plays a vital role in the circular economy of the local area; Rattray Community Garden which offers a welcoming, relaxing area for people of all ages to meet and developing gardening skills; Biodiversity Blair, which was instrumental in Blairgowrie and Rattray becoming Scotland’s first biodiversity team; Discover Blairgowrie, which plays a vital role in the Trust’s efforts to communicate and connect with local residents and visitors to the town; the Hub Magazine which is delivered free to 5000 households locally; and the Loo Crew whose efforts ensure that the public toilets in the town remain open.
BRDT also recently supported the former Blairgowrie and Rattray Business Association to become a core project of the Trust, operating as the Business Focus Group.
Thanking the volunteers for all that they do, BRDT operations officer Lesley McDonald said: “Volunteers are the lifeblood of any community and we are very lucky here in Blairgowrie and Rattray to have literally thousands of volunteers who give their time, expertise, passion and enthusiasm towards making this town a wonderful place to live, work and visit.
“BRDT alone has some 180 volunteers to help us make a positive difference in our community, and we were delighted to host a lovely afternoon tea party at Rattray Community Garden to say thank you to them for all their hard work and effort on behalf of the town.
“To the Loo Crew and the Saturday Lunch Club drivers, to the BaRI Store, Booklore and the Hub Magazine teams, to the Biodiversity Blair and the Rattray Community Garden volunteers and to our Trustees – a huge THANK YOU! We literally couldn’t do it with you.”
Volunteers, including those who volunteer with the other 150 community groups and organisations in the town, have helped Blairgowrie and Rattray be shortlisted for Scotland's Town of the Year award.
Lesley commented: “We are absolutely delighted that Blairgowrie and Rattray has been shortlisted in the 2025 Scotland Loves Local Awards as one of the contenders for Scotland’s Town of the Year!
“Everything we do at Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust is guided by the community and supported by some amazingly dedicated, enthusiastic and hard-working volunteers, as well as local businesses.
“Being shortlisted for this award is testament to everyone’s efforts to make our town such a great place.”
Councillor Bob Brawn, who is also a BRDT Trustee, was at the event. He added: “I was pleased to be able to attend a wonderful afternoon gathering organised by Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust as a thank you to all their volunteers for their hard work and to hear how it makes such a difference to the town.
“Without these volunteers, and the time they give, the town would undoubtedly be a sadder place to live, so this was a well-deserved thank you to all.”
For further information on volunteering in Blairgowrie and Rattray and some of the opportunities currently available, see online at https://discoverblairgowrie.co.uk/community/town-volunteer-list or email admin@discoverblairgowrie.co.uk
To find out more about BRDT, see www.brdt.org.uk or email admin@brdt.org.uk
For further information or media enquiries, please contact Clare McMicking on telephone 07514 343 042 or email media@brdt.org.uk
