DTAS Resilience Fund — Proposal
For board discussion · March 2026
The Opportunity
The DTAS Recovery & Resilience Fund offers grants of £10k–£100k to member organisations for capacity building. CDT is eligible as a provisional DTAS member. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in the governance, communications, community engagement, and asset management infrastructure that an organisation managing a Category A listed heritage site with £1.3M in assets genuinely needs.
Why CDT, Why Now
Good governance by luck — time to make it by design
CDT currently has good governance because of the quality of the current board. But structures that depend on individuals aren’t resilient. We have an opportunity — while the board is strong — to put in place frameworks that protect the organisation regardless of who serves next. The Scottish Governance Code self-assessment confirmed significant gaps: no Code of Conduct, no risk register, no safeguarding or complaints policies, no strategic plan.
We’re already helping ourselves
CDT isn’t waiting for funding to start. DTAS governance support is being accessed, a new admin team is in place, email and SharePoint modernisation is underway, and the basic website consolidation is in progress. This application is about the work that can’t be done internally — the specialist expertise needed to build governance frameworks, tell our story professionally, and engage our community at the level this site deserves.
The camp’s story is untold
Cultybraggan is one of the best-preserved WW2 POW camps in Europe, community-owned since 2007, home to 11 community groups and a growing creative economy. This is an internationally significant story that barely exists online. The resilience fund can pay for the professional storytelling, PR, and community engagement that turns CDT from a well-kept secret into a recognised exemplar.
We have the evidence — we need the capacity to use it
CDT commissioned a Heritage Conservation Framework covering all 91 huts: condition ratings, significance assessments, graded repair schedules, 1,148 photographs. Most comparable trusts don’t have anything like it. But it’s sitting in SharePoint, not informing decisions. The DTAS self-assessment scored assets at “basic records and processes, no capacity to develop a formal plan.” The resilience fund pays to operationalise what CDT has already invested in — turning an archive into a management tool.
Four Workstreams
1. Governance
Governance means agility, not bureaucracy. Build the policies, frameworks, and strategic plan that enable the board to act quickly and confidently — and that outlive the current trustees.
- Code of Conduct & safeguarding
- Risk register & complaints process
- Strategic plan & mission statement
- Board composition & succession planning
- Organisational structure review
2. Communications & Profile
Tell CDT’s three stories — heritage, working groups, and trust — professionally. Build a digital platform that goes beyond a brochure site.
- Heritage storytelling & brand voice
- Coordinated PR: local, national, international
- Working group mini-sites & digital platforms
- Social media setup & training
- Awards aspiration
3. Membership & Community
Grow from 441 to 1,000 members. Create tiered engagement, specialist panels, and app-enabled membership that matches how people interact with organisations today.
- Concrete membership target
- Tiered membership & advisory panels
- Segmented engagement: members, associates, villagers
- Community organisations taxonomy & shared training
- Community outreach fund
4. Asset Management
Turn the Heritage Conservation Framework from an archive into a management tool. Build the plan, systems, and skills to steward 90+ listed structures with confidence.
- Formal asset management plan
- HCF data extraction & searchable system
- Staff & trustee training in listed building stewardship
- Maintenance tracking software
- Underleveraged unit feasibility
Proposed Budget
| Cost Type | Governance | Comms & Profile | Membership | Assets | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist consultants & agencies | £8,000 | £28,000 | £8,000 | £11,000 | £55,000 |
| Platforms, tools & subscriptions | £1,000 | £3,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 | £8,000 |
| Training & skills transfer | £3,000 | £3,000 | £2,000 | £3,000 | £11,000 |
| Website elevation (beyond basic consolidation) | £2,000 | £8,000 | £2,000 | — | £12,000 |
| Community outreach & village initiatives | — | — | £10,000 | — | £10,000 |
| Stream total | £14,000 | £42,000 | £24,000 | £16,000 | £96,000 |
All specialist work delivered by external consultants and agencies to ensure speed, quality, and skills transfer to the CDT team.
What We’re Doing Ourselves
Already done / in progress (no funding needed)
- Email & SharePoint modernisation — in progress
- Basic website consolidation — in progress
- New admin team operational (Seona, Bravo, Christine)
- DTAS governance support being accessed
- Board skills audit completed
- Conflicts of interest policy — already in practice
- Funder relationship building (PKC, Visit Scotland)
- Heritage Conservation Framework — 91 hut assessments already commissioned
Needs specialist help (resilience funding)
- Governance framework — holistic policy re-evaluation
- Strategic plan — professional facilitation
- Board composition, succession planning, structure review
- Heritage storytelling — three distinct narratives
- Coordinated PR — local, national, international
- Digital evolution — mini-sites, apps, engagement tools
- Membership growth — 1,000 target, tiered structure
- Community organisations — taxonomy and shared training
- Formal asset management plan — HCF operationalised
- Listed building stewardship training & maintenance systems
Next Steps
- Confirm fund status and application timeline with DTAS (Gaby Nolan back 30 March).
- Board to agree the four-stream approach and £96k target.
- Chair to identify and confirm named experts for specialist roles.
- Agree community organisations taxonomy and engagement approach.
- Set concrete membership target (1,000 or % of population).
- Discuss community outreach scope with Comrie community organisations.
- Confirm HCF data extraction scope with Bravo ahead of asset management consultant brief.
After 12 Months
- A complete, board-adopted policy framework — Code of Conduct, safeguarding, complaints, risk register, scheme of delegation — all tailored to CDT’s heritage context
- A written 3–5 year strategic plan with measurable objectives and an impact framework funders can assess against
- Every trustee trained on legal duties, the Scottish Governance Code, and CDT-specific responsibilities
- A succession plan for board, staff, and key volunteer roles — so good governance outlives the current team
- An organisational structure review underway, exploring whether additional charities or trading companies would better serve CDT’s range of activities
Governance = Agility, Not Bureaucracy
To survive and thrive, CDT must be fleet of foot — nimble, responsive to ever-changing conditions, and ready to seize emerging opportunities. Good governance is what makes that possible. It’s not about adding layers of paperwork; it’s about having the right structures in place so the board can act quickly, confidently, and within a framework everyone understands.
Compliance should never stand in the way of being agile. Policies and procedures must be fit for purpose and aligned with the digital, fast-paced environment CDT operates in. The goal is a governance framework that enables action rather than slowing it down.
Good Governance by Luck — Time to Make It by Design
Right now, CDT has good governance simply because of the quality and competence of the current trustees. That’s fortunate — but it’s not resilient. We were lucky to stumble upon a good board, and we can easily be succeeded by the opposite: well-meaning but inexperienced trustees, or even those with conflicting agendas.
We have an opportunity now — while the board is strong — to put in place structures that protect the organisation regardless of who serves next. Structures that safeguard against incompetence, that prevent conflicts of interest from going unchecked, and that ensure continuity when experienced trustees step down. That’s why governance is at an emergency level requiring resilience funding. Now is the time to consolidate and protect.
What We Can Do Ourselves vs What Needs Funding
Free / self-help (already happening)
- ✓ DTAS governance advisor support (included in membership)
- ✓ OSCR guidance documents on all policy areas
- ✓ DTAS policy templates (Code of Conduct, risk register, conflicts)
- ✓ Board skills audit — already completed
- ✓ Declaration of interests — already a standing agenda item
- ✓ Adrienne Loudon joined board with governance focus
- ✓ DTAS annual conference — networking with peer trusts, governance workshops, bursary-funded
Needs specialist expertise (resilience funding)
- → Professional facilitation for strategic planning sessions
- → Governance consultant to draft, review, and embed policies
- → Legal review of safeguarding and complaints frameworks
- → Impact measurement framework design
- → External trustee training programme
- → Board effectiveness review by independent assessor
- → Organisational structure review (charities, trading companies)
Templates exist — but adapting them to a heritage site with CDT’s complexity, getting them adopted by the board, and embedding them into working practice requires professional support.
A Holistic Policy Re-evaluation
The issue isn’t one or two missing policies. CDT has policies on file that were authored by previous boards — they may be accurate on paper, but they may not reflect the present realities of the current board or the organisation CDT has become. Policies adopted for their own sake, without buy-in from the team who must live by them, are policies in name only.
This is an opportunity to re-evaluate all policies — not ad hoc, not piecemeal — to ensure they are relevant, current, and genuinely adopted. A holistic review with professional facilitation means the whole board understands and owns every policy, making them easier to implement and far more likely to be followed.
What Needs to Happen
Five essential items that address the most significant gaps identified in our self-assessment.
Code of Conduct
A signed agreement setting out what’s expected of every trustee: attendance, confidentiality, collective responsibility, and how breaches are handled. DTAS provides a template — a consultant would adapt it for CDT and facilitate board adoption.
Risk Register
CDT manages real risks — structural condition of listed buildings, health & safety for visitors and tenants, financial sustainability, insurance adequacy. A living risk register is a governance essential and often a requirement for heritage and capital funding applications.
Safeguarding Policy
The camp hosts school groups, DofE participants, community events, and vulnerable adults. Food hygiene certificates are required for cafe volunteers, but there’s no overarching safeguarding framework. This needs professional drafting with legal review.
Complaints Process
CDT has no published complaints procedure. When issues arise — as they did at the 2024 AGM — there’s no formal process to follow. A published, accessible process protects both the organisation and the people it serves.
Strategic Plan & Mission Statement
CDT’s new chair has articulated a vision around heritage, environment, economy, and community. But there’s no written plan with measurable objectives. A professional facilitator can run the sessions and capture the output — the vision comes from the board and community, not from a consultant.
Board Composition & Succession Planning
Board Composition
CDT needs to look at its board composition and identify opportunities to strengthen both structure and skills mix. Active recruitment should target gaps identified in the skills audit — heritage management, finance, legal, digital, and community engagement.
- Skills-gap analysis driving targeted trustee recruitment
- Advertised, open recruitment process (not just word of mouth)
- Co-opted advisors or specialist panels for specific projects
See also: Membership tab — tiered membership and specialist advisory panels.
Succession Planning
Good governance must include succession planning at all levels — board, staff, and key volunteer roles. CDT cannot afford to lose institutional knowledge when individuals move on.
- Documented roles and responsibilities for every key position
- Deputy/shadow arrangements for critical functions
- Knowledge transfer processes when people step down
- Pipeline for future trustees through working group leadership
Structural Evolution
As a small organisation, CDT is currently in a transitional state: trustees are directly involved in day-to-day operations. That’s pragmatic for now, but the aspiration is to reach the gold standard of separation — where the board provides strategic oversight and staff handle operations. The governance structure must account for this evolution.
More broadly, CDT needs professional help evaluating whether its current organisational structure is optimal. With heritage conservation, community development, commercial lettings, energy generation, and tourism all under one umbrella, there may be a case for separate charities, trading companies, or other structures that better serve each activity. This is a question for a specialist — not one the board should answer in isolation.
See also: Experts tab — governance consultant and strategic planning facilitator.Inspiration tab — trusts that have navigated similar structural questions.
Building on the Foundations
Important items that follow once the essentials are in place.
Trustee induction pack & mentor scheme
New trustees currently learn by sitting in on meetings — no formal handover of duties, responsibilities, or camp operations.
Scheme of delegation & terms of reference
Finance Group and Estates Group operate without written mandates — unclear where their authority starts and the board's ends.
Fundraising strategy
CDT applies for grants reactively. A strategy aligned with the Code of Fundraising Practice would strengthen every application.
EDI statement & diversity policy
Board recruitment is informal and limited to existing networks. A statement of intent demonstrates commitment to inclusion.
Expenses & hospitality policy
Basic good practice for any charity managing public funds. Protects trustees and builds public confidence.
Board performance review
No mechanism to assess whether the board itself is working effectively — annual self-assessment is standard practice.
Governance Stream — £12,000
| Specialist | Delivers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Governance consultant (6–8 days) | Policies, risk register, complaints process, scheme of delegation | £4,000 |
| Strategic planning facilitator | 3–4 sessions with board and stakeholders, written plan, impact framework | £3,000 |
| Trustee training programme | Induction, Scottish Governance Code, legal duties, EDI | £3,000 |
| Templates, tools & governance calendar | Risk register platform, document templates, board portal | £2,000 |
| Governance stream total | £12,000 | |
How This Connects
→ Communications
Governance transparency builds public trust. Published policies and strategic plan become content for the website and PR. Board effectiveness is a story worth telling.
→ Membership
Members need to see that CDT is well governed. Open governance documents, clear complaints process, and regular reporting build membership confidence.
→ Community Orgs
Scheme of delegation clarifies CDT/group responsibilities. Shared governance training extends professional standards to partner organisations.
After 12 Months
- CDT’s story is professionally articulated — the heritage narrative, the trust narrative, and each working group’s narrative are distinct, compelling, and consistent
- A coordinated PR strategy is in place covering local, national, and international media — with a press kit, media contacts, and journalist relationships CDT can maintain independently
- Social media channels are active and staff-managed after specialist handover
- The website has evolved beyond a baseline brochure into a multi-portal platform with dedicated mini-sites for working groups
- CDT is actively pursuing awards in heritage, community development, and governance
Website: Baseline Done, Now Evolve
The basic website consolidation — replacing four fragmented sites with one team-editable site — is in progress. It’s important, but it’s a hygiene factor: it brings CDT up to where most small trusts already are. It sets a baseline for everything that follows.
The real opportunity is what comes after the baseline. The resilience fund pays for the digital evolution that transforms CDT from a single brochure site into a platform that serves multiple audiences through multiple touchpoints.
Digital Evolution — Beyond the Website
The new website is the foundation. But CDT’s digital presence needs to go much further — dedicated spaces for each activity, tools for real engagement, and platforms that match how people actually interact with organisations today.
Working Group Mini-Sites
Each working group — Heritage, Woodland, Orchard, Allotments, DofE — has its own story and its own audience. Dedicated mini-sites let each group express itself fully while remaining part of the CDT mothership.
Precedent: National Trust for Scotland gives each property its own microsite within the main brand. Edinburgh World Heritage does the same for each conservation project.
Multi-Portal & App Approach
Purpose-built digital tools for specific audiences: allotment membership management, volunteer coordination, interactive camp maps, tenant booking and communication, visitor information. Not everything needs to live on a website — some functions work better as lightweight apps or dedicated portals.
Precedent: Organisations like Incredible Edible Todmorden demonstrate how community groups use purpose-built tools alongside their website. Allotment-specific management platforms are increasingly common among community land trusts.
Interactive Maps & Heritage Archive
An interactive map of all 100+ camp structures — click any hut for its history, condition, photos, and current use. Plus a searchable heritage archive with 1,000+ conservation photos, 31 videos, and oral histories. This is the kind of digital asset that makes Cultybraggan a destination for researchers and heritage tourists alike.
Precedent: Fife Historic Buildings Trust maps every project with clear storytelling. Historic Environment Scotland uses interactive maps extensively.
Hyper-Engagement Tools
Modern membership engagement goes beyond newsletters: continuous polling and consultation, quick feedback on proposals, event RSVPs, community noticeboard. The aim is to make it effortless for members and villagers to stay connected and have their say.
Precedent: Platforms like Community Shares Scotland demonstrate how digital tools can enable member polling and feedback at scale.
Finding Our Voice — Three Distinct Stories
CDT isn’t one story — it’s three, and getting the framing right matters. A storytelling expert can help us find the authentic voice for each.
The Heritage Story
The camp and the museum are one narrative: a WW2 POW camp where German and Ukrainian prisoners were held, with a surviving execution room and 100+ Nissen huts, now home to a volunteer-run museum preserving military history, oral testimonies, and artefacts. This is an internationally significant heritage story — and it needs to be told as one compelling narrative, not split across two separate pages.
The Working Group Stories
Each working group has its own story — the Woodland Group’s forest management, the Orchard Group’s community growing, DofE’s youth engagement, the Allotments’ food production. These stories happen to take place at Cultybraggan, but they could take place anywhere — they shouldn’t be overshadowed by the camp. Each deserves its own voice and its own audience.
The CDT Story
The trust itself has a distinct story: a community development trust that bought a derelict military site and turned it into a living, working community asset — solar energy, affordable workspace, a changing places toilet, business units. This is the story funders, policymakers, and DTAS need to hear. CDT’s story should not be conflated with the Cultybraggan story; the venue is the camp, but the mission is community development.
Coordinated PR & Media Strategy
Multi-Level Media Outreach
CDT’s achievements are barely known outside Comrie. A coordinated PR strategy targets three levels simultaneously:
Local
Strathearn Herald, Perthshire Advertiser, community newsletters. Building village awareness and pride.
National
The Herald, The Courier, BBC Scotland, STV. The community buyout and heritage conservation story plays well nationally.
International
Heritage publications, WW2 history outlets, community land trust networks. Cultybraggan has genuine international significance.
Awards Aspiration
CDT should be actively seeking and aspiring for awards across the domains it operates in. Awards bring recognition, credibility, media coverage, and funder confidence. A PR strategy should identify relevant award programmes and build submissions into the annual calendar.
Examples: Scottish Charity Awards, SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration, Scottish Heritage Angel Awards, RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards, DTAS Member Awards. See the Inspiration tab for award-winning trusts.
Linking with External Groups
CDT should connect with relevant groups and associations for specific aspects of its work: heritage networks, community energy groups, woodland trusts, allotment associations, social enterprise networks. These connections bring expertise, visibility, and opportunities.
- Built Environment Forum Scotland (heritage conservation)
- Community Energy Scotland (solar and renewables)
- Community Woodlands Association (woodland management)
- Social Enterprise Scotland (business unit model)
- DTAS and Community Land Scotland (community ownership)
What the Resilience Fund Pays For
Storytelling Expert
Works with the community to find CDT’s authentic voice. Interviews long-standing members, volunteers, tenants, and visitors. Creates the core narrative for each of the three stories above. Produces the written content, photography direction, and tone of voice guide that makes every future communication consistent and compelling.
This person gives CDT the raw material that everything else is built on.
PR & Media Agency
A short-term engagement (3–6 months) with a Scottish PR firm to place CDT’s story in national and heritage media. Builds a press pack and media contacts list that the admin team can use independently after the engagement ends. Identifies and submits award applications.
Objective: sustained media coverage and award recognition, not a one-off press release.
Social Media Specialist
Creates CDT’s social media presence from scratch. Sets up accounts, creates branded templates, develops a content calendar, and runs initial campaigns while simultaneously training the admin team to take over. Handover in 3–4 months.
Builds the system and skills — CDT runs it from day one of handover.
Website Elevation & Digital Platforms
Adds the features that the basic consolidation doesn’t cover: interactive camp map, heritage archive, working group mini-sites, community engagement tools, and project dashboards. This builds on the baseline website — not a separate project, but the next evolution of it.
The difference between a brochure site and a platform that serves multiple audiences.
Communications Stream — £46,000
| Specialist | Delivers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Storytelling expert | Core narratives, photography direction, tone of voice guide, content for all three stories | £8,000 |
| PR & media agency (3–6 months) | Local/national/international media placements, press pack, award submissions | £12,000 |
| Social media specialist (3–4 months) | Account setup, campaigns, templates, content calendar, staff training and handover | £8,000 |
| Website elevation & digital platforms | Interactive map, heritage archive, working group mini-sites, engagement tools | £12,000 |
| Platforms & tools | Newsletter service, social scheduling, analytics, mapping platform | £3,000 |
| Skills transfer & training | Admin team trained on all systems; written guides for ongoing maintenance | £3,000 |
| Communications stream total | £46,000 | |
How This Connects
← Governance
Published governance documents and strategic plan become website content. Transparent governance is itself a story worth telling to funders and media.
→ Membership
Better communications drive membership growth. The newsletter, social media, and website all serve member engagement as well as public profile.
→ Community Orgs
Working group mini-sites give each group digital identity. Shared events calendar covers the whole camp. PR strategy includes community group stories.
After 12 Months
- Active membership target set and trajectory established — 1,000 members or a meaningful percentage of Comrie’s population
- Tiered membership structure in place: full members, associates, and specialist advisory panels
- Regular, two-way communication with all member segments — not just AGM to AGM silence
- A modern, app-enabled membership platform that makes it effortless to join, engage, and contribute
- Clear engagement plans for members, associates, and non-member villagers
Repairing and Growing Our Relationships
CDT has 441 members and sits at the heart of Comrie — but the relationship with the village has frayed. Communications have been inconsistent, engagement has been reactive, and CDT’s achievements aren’t well known even among its own members.
This stream is about more than newsletters and databases. It’s about rebuilding trust, creating genuine two-way engagement, and demonstrating that CDT exists to serve the whole community. Community group engagement is covered in the dedicated Community Orgs tab.
A Concrete Target
From 441 to 1,000 is ambitious but achievable with the right engagement strategy. It signals to funders and the community that CDT has genuine democratic legitimacy — not just a handful of people running a camp, but a significant proportion of the village invested in its future.
The exact target should be agreed by the board — whether an absolute number or a percentage of the local population. Either way, having a stated target transforms membership from passive administration into active growth.
Tiered Membership
Not everyone wants the same level of involvement. A tiered structure accommodates different levels of commitment while creating pathways for deeper engagement.
Full Members
Voting members with full democratic rights — elect trustees, approve accounts, shape CDT’s direction at AGMs. Receive quarterly newsletter, access to member portal with governance documents, minutes, and event booking. Can stand for election or propose motions.
Associates & Supporters
For people who want to stay connected but don’t need voting rights — visitors, former residents, heritage enthusiasts, diaspora. Receive newsletter, event invitations, and updates. Low barrier to entry, high potential for conversion to full membership.
Advisory Panels
Members with specific expertise — heritage, finance, legal, digital, environmental — can declare their specialisms and form advisory panels that the board can consult on specific matters. This gives CDT access to professional knowledge without requiring every expert to become a trustee.
Precedent: Many housing associations use specialist advisory panels for finance, development, and tenant engagement. Development Trusts Association Scotland encourages peer advisory networks across member organisations.
Engaging Different Groups
Members
The 441 (and growing) people who’ve invested in CDT. Between AGMs, engagement is minimal — no regular updates, no easy way to access documents, no structured way to contribute ideas.
What changes
- Quarterly newsletter with news, decisions, and opportunities
- Member portal with minutes, reports, and governance documents
- Annual member survey — structured feedback beyond the AGM
- Clear pathways to deeper involvement (working groups, panels, trusteeship)
Associates
People connected to CDT who aren’t full members — visitors, heritage researchers, former residents, supporters from further afield. Currently invisible to CDT.
What changes
- Simple sign-up for newsletter and updates
- Event invitations and open day announcements
- Heritage content and camp stories shared regularly
- Easy upgrade path to full membership
Villagers
Comrie residents who are not CDT members — they may be unaware of CDT, indifferent, or actively disengaged. Rebuilding trust means being a good neighbour.
What changes
- Open days and public events that invite the village in
- Visible CDT contribution to village life beyond the camp
- Collaboration with Community Council and local businesses
- Low-pressure invitations to associate-level engagement
Modern, App-Enabled Membership
The aspiration is a membership experience that matches how people interact with organisations today: mobile-first, instant, and genuinely useful. Join in 30 seconds from your phone. Get notified about events. Vote on proposals. Book facilities. See what’s happening at the camp right now.
This doesn’t have to be built from scratch — platforms like Wild Apricot, Beacon, or bespoke solutions can deliver most of this out of the box. The resilience fund pays for the specialist to evaluate, set up, and train the team on the right platform.
Precedent: Organisations like Community Energy Scotland and several DTAS members have adopted app-enabled membership platforms for engagement, polling, and event management. The technology exists — CDT just needs to adopt it.
Membership & Community Stream — £22,000
| Item | Delivers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Community engagement consultant | Member engagement strategy, tiered structure, survey design, outreach framework | £5,000 |
| Membership platform & newsletter | CRM/database, app-enabled membership, newsletter system, member portal, analytics | £2,000 |
| Facilitated community events | Open days, village engagement events, member consultation sessions | £3,000 |
| Training & skills transfer | Admin team trained on membership management, newsletter, engagement tools | £2,000 |
| Community outreach fund | Small grants and in-kind support for wider Comrie initiatives | £10,000 |
| Membership & community stream total | £22,000 | |
How This Connects
← Governance
Strong membership legitimises CDT’s governance. Advisory panels feed specialist skills into board decisions. Succession pipeline flows from engaged members.
← Communications
Newsletter, social media, and website all serve member engagement. Better communications drive membership growth and retention.
→ Community Orgs
Community group members are CDT’s most engaged advocates. The taxonomy in the Community Orgs tab shapes how membership overlaps with group engagement.
After 12 Months
- A formal asset management plan covering all 90+ camp structures — adopted by the board, reviewed annually
- The Heritage Conservation Framework data extracted from SharePoint and searchable — any trustee or staff member can look up condition, repair priority, and photos for any hut
- A prioritised, costed repair schedule that CDT can use confidently in funding applications
- Staff and trustees trained in asset management and maintenance monitoring
- At least one underleveraged unit assessed for development potential
We Have the Evidence — We Need to Use It
CDT already has something most community trusts of its size don’t: a comprehensive Heritage Conservation Framework covering all 91 huts. Each assessment covers condition, significance, current use, services, and a graded repair schedule — urgent, necessary, and desirable. 1,148 photographs accompany the reports.
The gap isn’t the evidence — it’s that it’s sitting in ZIP files on SharePoint, inaccessible to everyday decision-making. CDT scored itself at “basic records and processes, but no capacity to develop a formal plan” against the DTAS Assets pillar criteria — which defines the target state as an organisation that “regularly uses and updates its asset management plan and confidently manages its assets.” The resilience fund pays to operationalise what CDT has already invested in.
What We Can Do Ourselves vs What Needs Funding
Free / self-help (already happening or available)
- ✓ Heritage Conservation Framework — already commissioned and complete
- ✓ Estates Group meeting regularly with basic maintenance oversight
- ✓ DTAS asset management guidance and peer trust examples available
- ✓ Historic Environment Scotland advisory support (Category A listing)
- ✓ In-house portal infrastructure for data management already being built
Needs specialist expertise (resilience funding)
- → Asset management consultant to develop the formal plan
- → Technical work to extract HCF data into a searchable system
- → Training for staff and trustees in asset management practice
- → Feasibility assessment on underleveraged units
- → Asset management software for maintenance tracking
The HCF is the foundation — but turning 91 DOCX reports into a living asset management system requires specialist knowledge CDT doesn’t have in-house.
What Needs to Happen
Four deliverables that move CDT from “basic records” to a formally managed estate.
Formal Asset Management Plan
A written plan covering all 90+ structures: condition baseline, maintenance schedule, repair priorities, inspection intervals, and responsibilities. Draws directly on the HCF but adds the management layer — who does what, when, at what cost, and how it’s reported to the board. Category A listed buildings require this level of stewardship, and major funders (HES, AHF, Heritage Lottery) expect to see it.
HCF Data Extraction & Searchable System
The Heritage Conservation Framework exists as 91 DOCX reports and 1,148 photographs in SharePoint. Structured data extraction — condition ratings, repair categories, significance scores, cost estimates — makes this information searchable and usable in day-to-day decisions. The portal already has the infrastructure; this funds the data work to populate it.
Staff & Trustee Training
Asset management for a Category A listed heritage site is a specialist discipline. Training covers: reading condition surveys, understanding repair priorities, managing listed building consents, working with Historic Environment Scotland, and using maintenance management tools. Equips the Estates Group to operate with confidence and reduces reliance on external advisors for routine decisions.
Underleveraged Unit Feasibility
Several units at Cultybraggan are either vacant or generating minimal income relative to their potential. A targeted feasibility study — covering condition, planning considerations, likely uses, and community benefit — gives CDT the evidence base to make confident development decisions. This directly addresses the self-assessment finding that CDT has “started to consider asset opportunities but lacks the confidence or capacity to take them forward” — one step below the target of confidently assessing viability and making informed decisions considering risk and community need. DTAS’s COSS service can also support this work.
Making the HCF Work for CDT
The Heritage Conservation Framework is a serious piece of commissioned work — the kind of evidence base most comparable trusts don’t have. Every hut has a significance rating, a condition rating, and a graded repair schedule. The photographs document current state at a specific point in time.
But evidence only creates value when it informs decisions. Right now the HCF is an archive. The goal of this stream is to make it a management tool: so that when a repair need is identified, the Estates Group can immediately see the condition context, check the repair category, and bring a costed recommendation to the board. And when CDT applies to HES or the Architectural Heritage Fund, the asset management plan exists as a credible document rather than a verbal assurance.
Assets Stream — £14,000
| Specialist | Delivers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Asset management consultant (6–8 days) | Formal asset management plan, maintenance schedule, repair priority framework | £4,000 |
| HCF data extraction & portal browser | Structured data from 91 assessments into searchable system; unit pages with condition + photos | £4,000 |
| Underleveraged unit feasibility | Planning/development consultant assessing 2–3 units for development potential, income, and community benefit | £3,000 |
| Training programme | Listed building stewardship, HES liaison, maintenance management tools, Estates Group upskilling | £3,000 |
| Asset management software | Maintenance tracking, inspection scheduling, repair log, compliance monitoring | £2,000 |
| Assets stream total | £16,000 | |
How This Connects
← Governance
The asset management plan feeds the risk register. Repair liabilities and insurance gaps are governance risks. Scheme of delegation should clarify Estates Group authority over maintenance decisions.
← Communications
The HCF data and interactive camp map are the same project from two angles — asset management for internal use, heritage archive for public storytelling. The portal browser serves both purposes.
→ Membership
A credible asset management plan strengthens every major grant application — HES, AHF, Heritage Lottery. Better funding for repairs means a better-maintained camp, which strengthens the membership proposition.
After 12 Months
- Clear taxonomy agreed: working groups, tenants, and external Comrie organisations each have a defined relationship with CDT
- Every camp-based organisation has attended at least one shared training or networking event
- External Comrie community groups have a standing invitation to CDT governance and skills-development sessions
- A “Comrie Collective” network exists — informal, light-touch, but real
The Rising Tide
CDT’s resilience must lift the boats of all Comrie community organisations who wish to participate. Whatever governance training and specialist support CDT secures through this fund, we can extend to partner organisations — strengthening the whole community, not just the trust.
But not all community organisations have the same relationship with CDT. Some are internal working groups, some are tenants, and some have no direct link to the camp at all. Our approach must be adapted to the needs and expectations of each.
Who’s Who: A Clear Taxonomy
CDT interacts with community organisations at three distinct levels. Getting this taxonomy right is the first step — it shapes how we communicate, what we offer, and what we expect.
CDT Working Groups
Sub-groups of CDT itself — the Heritage Group, Woodland Group, Orchard Group, Allotments, DofE. These operate under CDT’s charitable umbrella and are accountable to the board. They share CDT’s governance, insurance, and constitutional framework.
Tailored approach
- Direct involvement in CDT governance and strategic planning
- Dedicated mini-site/section within the new CDT website
- Included in trustee and volunteer training programmes
- Regular representation at board meetings
Tenants & On-site Organisations
Organisations that rent space at the camp but are legally independent of CDT — Men’s Shed, Cancer Club, individual artists and craftspeople. They benefit from CDT’s stewardship of the camp but govern themselves.
Tailored approach
- Invited (not required) to participate in CDT training and governance sessions
- Shared events calendar and joint promotion through CDT channels
- Tenant liaison meetings — practical issues and shared opportunities
- Opportunity to feature on CDT website and promotional materials
Comrie Community Organisations
Organisations in Comrie that have no direct connection to the camp — the Community Council, local charities, sports clubs, church groups. CDT’s resilience programme can still benefit them, and a stronger Comrie benefits CDT.
Tailored approach
- Open invitation to governance training and specialist workshops
- Shared resources — template policies, risk register frameworks, good practice guides
- Joint community events and cross-promotion
- Potential “Comrie Collective” network for regular collaboration
Easy Win: Shared Training
Whatever specialist support CDT secures through the resilience fund — governance consultancy, strategic planning facilitation, trustee training — we can invite community organisations to participate at minimal additional cost. One training session benefits ten organisations instead of one.
For camp-based groups
- Governance workshops (OSCR requirements, codes of conduct)
- Digital skills training (website, social media, email)
- Safeguarding and health & safety awareness
For Comrie-wide groups
- Good practice in charity governance
- Fundraising skills and strategy
- Communications and public engagement
This positions CDT as a community anchor — not just managing the camp, but actively strengthening Comrie’s voluntary sector. That’s exactly the kind of impact DTAS wants to see.
How This Connects
← Governance
Scheme of delegation clarifies CDT/group responsibilities. Shared training extends governance standards to partner organisations.
← Communications
Working groups get dedicated mini-sites. Shared events calendar covers the whole camp. PR strategy includes community group stories.
← Membership
Community group members are CDT’s most engaged advocates. Clear taxonomy helps target membership engagement.
After 12 Months
- Every specialist has delivered their core work and completed skills transfer to the CDT team
- CDT runs its own social media, sends its own newsletters, and maintains its own governance calendar independently
- The systems, content, and capabilities remain — the specialists have exited
- A network of DTAS-aligned and third-sector specialists established for ongoing ad-hoc advice
A Portfolio of Specialists
Resilience funding is about building capacity quickly and well. A portfolio of external specialists delivers fast, brings proven expertise, and transfers skills to the existing team — so CDT can sustain the work independently after the funding ends.
The candidates listed below are real named organisations with Scottish third-sector, heritage, or community trust experience. They are starting points for the Chair’s outreach — not a confirmed supplier list. 2–3 options are shown per role so CDT can compare approaches and fees before committing.
Governance Stream Specialists
Governance Consultant
£4,000A specialist in Scottish charity governance — someone who knows OSCR requirements, understands the Scottish Governance Code, and has worked with community trusts before. Drafts and helps the board adopt: Code of Conduct, safeguarding, complaints process, risk register, and scheme of delegation.
Candidates
Strategic Planning Facilitator
£3,000CDT’s new chair has a clear vision but there’s no written plan with measurable objectives. A professional facilitator runs the sessions and captures the output. The vision comes from the board and community, not from the consultant.
Candidates
Trustee Training Programme
£3,000New trustees currently learn by sitting in on meetings — no formal induction, no structured training on legal duties. Covers Scottish Governance Code, trustee legal responsibilities, EDI, and heritage-specific obligations.
Candidates
Communications & Profile Specialists
Heritage Storytelling Expert
£8,000Cultybraggan’s story — a WW2 POW camp where German and Ukrainian prisoners were held, now community-owned and home to artists, craftspeople, and social enterprises — is internationally compelling but hasn’t been told yet. A storytelling expert walks the camp, interviews community members, and crafts the narrative that makes Cultybraggan impossible to ignore.
Candidates
PR & Media Agency
£8,000CDT’s achievements are barely known outside Comrie. A PR firm with heritage or third-sector experience gets CDT’s story into regional and national media — the Courier, the Herald, BBC Scotland, heritage publications.
Candidates
Social Media Specialist
£6,000CDT has no social media presence. A specialist sets up channels, creates the initial content calendar, and trains the admin team to maintain it. Goal: CDT running its own social media confidently within 3–4 months.
Candidates
Website Elevation & Digital Platforms
£12,000The basic website is already being built. Resilience funding elevates it: an interactive camp map, heritage archive with the 1,148 conservation photos, working group mini-sites, and community engagement tools.
Candidates
Membership & Community Specialists
Community Engagement Consultant
£5,000A specialist in community development who designs the engagement strategy: how CDT communicates with its members, supports its community groups, and rebuilds its relationship with the wider village. Designs tiered membership structure, survey framework, and outreach plan.
Candidates
Asset Management Specialists
Asset Management Consultant
£4,000A RICS-accredited specialist in historic buildings who can take the Heritage Conservation Framework and turn it into a formal asset management plan: condition baseline, maintenance schedule, repair priorities, inspection intervals, and responsibilities for all 90+ structures.
Candidates
Listed Building Stewardship Training
£3,000Training for staff and the Estates Group on: reading condition surveys, understanding repair priorities, managing listed building consents, working with Historic Environment Scotland, and using maintenance management tools.
Candidates
Underleveraged Unit Feasibility
£3,000A planning and development consultant assesses 2–3 units for development potential, community benefit, planning constraints, and likely income. Gives CDT the evidence base to make confident development decisions and approach funders.
Note: The Architectural Heritage Fund offers Project Viability Grants up to £15k for feasibility studies by qualified heritage professionals — CDT could apply to AHF to cover this cost directly rather than drawing from resilience funding.
Candidates
Case Studies: Trusts Who’ve Done This
Community trusts that have successfully gone through a similar resilience and capacity-building process — engaging external specialists, professionalising governance, and building communications.
Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust
Community-owned island · Small Isles, Highland
After the 1997 community buyout, Eigg invested in professional governance frameworks and communications infrastructure. External specialists helped develop policies, set up transparent reporting, and build a communications strategy that has made Eigg an exemplar of community land ownership.
GalGael Trust
Heritage community trust · Govan, Glasgow
GalGael brought in storytelling and PR specialists to articulate their heritage boat-building narrative. The result: sustained national media coverage, strong funder relationships, and deep community engagement built on 20 years of authentic, professionally supported storytelling.
Knoydart Foundation
17,500-acre community estate · West Coast, Highland
Knoydart used DTAS and external support to professionalise their governance after their community buyout. Their public asset register and transparent reporting model demonstrate what structured governance looks like for a community trust managing complex assets.
How This Works in Practice
Months 1–3: Intensive
Specialists are engaged, briefed, and working. The governance consultant drafts policies. The storytelling expert is on-site interviewing people and photographing the camp. The PR firm is identifying media angles. The social media specialist sets up channels.
Months 4–8: Delivery & training
Policies are adopted by the board. The website elevation goes live. The first newsletter reaches all members. Media coverage starts appearing. The admin team is being trained on every system. Community outreach events bring the village onto the camp.
Months 9–12: Self-sufficient
CDT runs its own social media, sends its own newsletters, maintains its own governance calendar, and updates the website independently. The specialists have exited. The systems, skills, and content remain.
Specialist Portfolio — £80,000
| Specialist | Stream | Key deliverables | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Governance consultant | Governance | Policies, risk register, complaints process | £4,000 |
| Strategic planning facilitator | Governance | 3–5 year plan, impact framework | £3,000 |
| Trustee training programme | Governance | Induction, legal duties, governance calendar | £3,000 |
| Governance tools & templates | Governance | Risk register platform, document templates | £2,000 |
| Heritage storytelling expert | Communications | CDT narrative, website content, brand voice | £8,000 |
| PR & media agency | Communications | Press kit, media outreach, award submissions | £8,000 |
| Social media specialist | Communications | Channels, campaigns, team training | £6,000 |
| Website elevation & digital platforms | Communications | Interactive map, heritage archive, mini-sites | £12,000 |
| Photography & video | Communications | Professional photography, promotional video | £6,000 |
| Comms training & handover | Communications | Staff trained on all platforms and systems | £6,000 |
| Community engagement consultant | Membership | Tiered membership, survey design, outreach | £5,000 |
| Membership platform & newsletter | Membership | CRM, app-enabled membership, member portal | £2,000 |
| Community events & training | Membership | Facilitated events, skills transfer to admin team | £5,000 |
| Community outreach fund | Membership | Small grants for wider Comrie initiatives | £10,000 |
| Asset management consultant | Assets | Formal asset management plan, maintenance schedule | £4,000 |
| Listed building stewardship training | Assets | Estates Group upskilling, HES liaison, maintenance tools | £3,000 |
| Underleveraged unit feasibility | Assets | Development potential, planning appraisal, 2–3 units | £3,000 |
| Programme total | £92,000 | ||
All specialist work includes skills transfer to the CDT admin team. The goal is self-sufficiency — every system and capability remains after the specialists have exited. HCF data extraction and asset management software (£6k combined) are listed under the Assets stream but not included here as they are technical/platform costs rather than specialist consultancy.
Who Has Done This Well?
CDT isn’t inventing anything new. Community trusts across Scotland and the UK have already built the governance frameworks and communications platforms we’re proposing. The difference is that CDT manages one of the most significant heritage sites of any development trust in the country — and our infrastructure hasn’t caught up with our responsibilities. These are the organisations we can learn from and, ultimately, stand alongside.
Governance Exemplars
Organisations with strong, transparent governance that CDT can learn from.
Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust
Visit →Small Isles, Highland · Governance & Community Engagement
The 1997 community buyout that started the Scottish community land movement. Eigg manages a whole island — housing, renewable energy, forestry, tourism — with exemplary governance. The Scottish Land Commission holds them up as an exemplar of community engagement: information packs to every resident before major decisions, regular open meetings, transparent reporting.
What CDT can learn: Transparent, proactive governance builds the community trust that makes everything else possible — from planning consent to funding applications to volunteer recruitment.
Knoydart Foundation
Visit →West Coast, Highland · Governance & Asset Transparency
Knoydart's 'Our Assets' page lists every community-owned building, piece of land, and infrastructure asset in a simple, accessible format. It's a straightforward page — not an interactive map — but it makes community stewardship visible. CDT could go further: combining this transparency with the heritage assessment data that already exists for Cultybraggan's 100+ structures.
What CDT can learn: Even a simple public asset register demonstrates accountability to funders and gives the community confidence that their assets are being managed.
Additional governance exemplars to be identified — organisations recognised for good governance, especially those similar to CDT or award winners
Communications Exemplars
Organisations that tell their story exceptionally well.
GalGael Trust
Visit →Govan, Glasgow · Storytelling & PR
Arguably the best storyteller in the Scottish community sector. GalGael uses heritage boat-building as a vehicle for community recovery in Govan — and their website leads with the human story, not the organisational structure. Their 20-year narrative arc demonstrates what sustained, authentic storytelling does for a community organisation: national media coverage, strong funding relationships, and deep community engagement.
What CDT can learn: CDT's story — a WW2 POW camp where German and Ukrainian prisoners were held, now community-owned — is equally compelling. It just hasn't been told yet.
Fife Historic Buildings Trust
Visit →Fife · Heritage Communications & Digital
The closest match for CDT's conservation work. Fife HBT has delivered over £40 million in historic environment regeneration and presents every project through an interactive map with clear storytelling: what the building was, what was wrong, what they did, and what it looks like now. Each project page is a case study that funders can point to.
What CDT can learn: Heritage conservation needs to be communicated as a narrative of rescue and renewal, not a spreadsheet of condition scores. Each hut at Cultybraggan has a story worth telling.
Additional communications exemplars to be identified — trusts with exceptional digital presence, PR, or social media
Membership & Community Exemplars
Organisations with strong member engagement and community relationships.
Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust
Visit →Small Isles, Highland · Community Engagement
Eigg's model of community engagement goes beyond membership — every resident receives information packs before major decisions, open meetings are regular and well-attended, and the trust actively consults on all significant projects. This level of engagement is what gives Eigg democratic legitimacy and community support.
What CDT can learn: Proactive, inclusive engagement transforms a membership list into a genuine community mandate. CDT's target of 1,000 members needs this kind of active engagement to be meaningful.
Additional membership exemplars to be identified — trusts with innovative engagement, tiered membership, or app-enabled platforms
Awards — What CDT Could Aspire To
Awards bring recognition, credibility, media coverage, and funder confidence. CDT operates across multiple domains — each with its own award landscape. A PR strategy should identify relevant programmes and build submissions into the annual calendar.
Scottish Charity Awards
Governance & ImpactSCVO
Recognises excellence in charity governance, innovation, and impact across Scotland.
SURF Awards
Community RegenerationSURF
Best Practice in Community Regeneration — recognises place-based community-led transformation.
Scottish Heritage Angel Awards
Heritage ConservationHistoric Environment Scotland
Celebrates people who champion Scotland's historic environment — volunteers, researchers, campaigners.
RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards
EnvironmentRSPB Scotland
Community, woodland, and land management categories relevant to CDT's environmental work.
DTAS Member Awards
Community DevelopmentDTAS
Recognises outstanding DTAS members — CDT becoming an exemplar is exactly the story DTAS wants.
Scottish Design Awards
Built EnvironmentUrban Realm
Heritage conservation and adaptive reuse categories. Cultybraggan's Nissen hut conversions could qualify.
See also: Communications tab — awards aspiration is part of the coordinated PR strategy.
The Case to DTAS
“Comrie Development Trust is a provisional DTAS member managing one of Scotland’s most significant community-owned heritage sites — a Category A listed WW2 POW camp with 100+ structures, 441 members, and 11 community groups. Our governance and communications infrastructure hasn’t kept pace with our responsibilities. This programme brings us up to the standard that Eigg, Knoydart, and Coin Street have set — and makes CDT a showcase for what DTAS membership enables.”
That last line matters. DTAS wants success stories to justify their £5M fund to Foundation Scotland. A provisional member becoming an exemplar is exactly the outcome they’re looking for.