New guide to support for community groups and organisations in Blairgowrie and Rattray

Date: Friday 10 May

News Release

May 2024

New guide to support for community groups and organisations in Blairgowrie and Rattray

Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust (BRDT) has created a guide to help local community groups and organisations find out more about the support the Trust offers volunteers and projects in the town.

Following on from the new operational structure that was put in place last year as part of BRDT’s ongoing efforts to have a positive impact on the town through working with local people, community groups, businesses and the local authority, the Trust has consolidated the services it offers to community groups and organisations into two packages.

The Quick Start package is free and entitles community groups to a basic listing on BRDT’s Discover Blairgowrie website, which includes contact details, a short overview and a logo, and events in the What’s On calendar. There is also the opportunity to include a 250-word article in BRDT’s Hub magazine, which is distributed for free to 5000 households in the town.

In addition, BRDT also offers up to two hours one-to-one support every year to each community group, which could involve help with developing or creating a constitution, or finding volunteers or funding.

And those who sign up for the Quick Start package also automatically become a group member of the Trust, supporting its activities and helping to give the town a voice in the wider region.

The Comprehensive package, which costs £75 per year, includes all of the benefits of the Quick Start package, many of which are enhanced. A listing on the Discover Blairgowrie website for example, would also include up to two images, while articles for the Hub magazine can be up to 500 words long and also include up to two images, and up to six hours a year one-to-one support is offered. Meeting room hire for up to three hours once a month is also available.

Additional services, including a bespoke website and additional one-to-one support can also be added to both packages as required.

There are more than 150 community groups in Blairgowrie and Rattray offering a range of experiences for residents and visitors to the town.

Covering everything from arts and culture, the local economy, community and recreation, the environment, heritage and tourism, the groups all contribute to the broad spectrum of life in the largest town in east Perthshire, making it a vibrant and attractive place to live, work and visit.

As a community-led organisation working with and within the community, BRDT’s primary role is facilitating and coordinating the activities highlighted in the town’s community action plan, which was updated in 2021, and one way it does this is by providing a range of support to local groups that are working towards achieving the aspirations set out in the community action plan.

Steve Johnson is development officer at BRDT.

He said: “Our aim is to help coordinate, communicate and promote all that is going on in our town and an integral part of that is supporting the groups and organisations that do so much fantastic work locally.

“This document is the next step following on from our organisational restructure last year and encapsulates how BRDT works with community groups and organisations in Blairgowrie and Rattray.

“We are here to serve the whole community, and we know that different groups and organisations require different levels of support at different times, so we have introduced these different packages as part of our ongoing efforts to offer a tailored service.

“To help support as many groups as possible, and to ensure that our support and the opportunities we facilitate for them are accessible, we provide the Quick Start package free of charge.

“Should organisations be in a position where they would benefit from the Comprehensive package, or from any of the additional bolt-on options that are available, then we are able to facilitate that.

“We hope that those involved with the 150 or so groups in the town will take advantage of what is on offer and the support available to them, particularly as there are lots of free opportunities for them to promote the work that they are doing in the town, secure funding for projects or get more volunteers involved.”

For further information on BRDT, see the website at www.brdt.org.uk or email admin@brdt.org.uk

ENDS For media enquiries, please contact Clare McMicking on 07514 343 042 or media@brdt.org.uk

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