Challenging Times for Bannockburn House Trust

We have recently been informed that we were unsuccessful with an application for core funding from the Scottish Government. This news, unfortunately, means that we have had to say goodbye to some members of staff. Jim Bennett our CEO, Ross Caldwell our Events manager, Ian Young our construction expert and Heritage Assistant, Carol Cowie. They are forever a part of the Trust’s journey; each having played a massive role in helping the Trust to develop over the last few years. The energy and commitment that they brought to the project is going to be missed, and we are truly grateful for everything they have done. We are lucky that they will all remain supporters of the Trust, and have all committed to keeping in touch, and in some cases even continuing as volunteers!

There is no avoiding the fact that losing staff members will be a real challenge for us as we continue to rebuild to our pre-pandemic levels of activity, however, we are lucky to have a fantastic group of people onboard to help us navigate these challenging times. Thanks to some ongoing funding, we will retain a staff presence to support our volunteers and direct our efforts in ongoing projects. Alan Buchan is now our Operations Manager, who will oversee all aspects of the work of the Trust, including supporting staff and lead volunteers. Margaret will also continue as our head gardener, planning the next stages of the development of our gardens and grounds and supporting our hard-working team of volunteer gardeners.

 This month will see further change, as our volunteer coordinator Amanda Monaghan moves onwards from her role at BHT. We are delighted to announce the return of Penny Ellis to the role of volunteer coordinator, having previously carried out the role for the Trust in both a voluntary and staff capacity. I would like to take this moment to thank Amanda for her unwavering dedication during her time at the Trust. On behalf of everyone at BHT, we wish Amanda the very best for the future and look forward to seeing what she goes on to achieve in her new role.

I cannot forget to mention that our biggest and best asset is of course our volunteers. Despite these challenging times, we can see a bright future for Bannockburn House while we retain such a strong community of dedicated people. We are working hard to attract new funding and will continue to expand our volunteer community, bringing new people with the right skills, ideas and enthusiasm to help us grow. Work will soon begin on our new road junction and car park, and we are progressing with applications to continue our journey of redevelopment, as set out in our masterplan (Masterplan – Bannockburn House).

If you want to help us to get there, please feel free to hit the donate button on our website, or purchase from our online shop. Our events also provide income which goes directly to the project, so book a tour or a talk; come along for a paranormal evening, or even sign up as a volunteer if you have the skills to help and some time to give.

From all at Bannockburn House Trust, thanks for your ongoing support. We look forward to seeing you at the house soon.