What's happening?
Trust Governance
The Trust is currently a Company Limited by Guarantee, and the legal governance document is its Memorandum and Articles. This was created in 1998, and since then there have been various legal changes including The Land Reform Act 2003, Companies Act 2006 and Community Empowerment Act 2016. Due to these factors and others, the board have been reviewing the Trust Mem and Arts and proposed a change. The intention is to clarify things and create a new document which is more focussed and readable, while retaining the core purpose and spirit of the Trust.
In 2011 the Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) was introduced. The purpose of this legal form was to allow charities to be incorporated while making administration simpler, being regulated just by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). The Trust directors have had a good look into this and are proposing a conversion.
To this end, the board drafted a new Constitution, and an EGM was held on 16th January 2024. The conversion to a SCIO and new Constitution was approved. An application to the charity regulator (OSCR) was then made, but two of the Trust's stated purposes were found to be not charitable. The Constitution has been adjusted and a new application made.
The FCT board will keep you updated. Watch this space!
Toolshed. You may have noticed we now have a new shed at the picnic area. This will be used to house mowers, tools and materials for path maintenance and other work on the land, and we'd like to thank the National Lottery Awards for All for generously funding it.
