Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust shares ‘whole town approach’ with peers

Release Date: Wednesday 1 April 2026

Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust (BRDT) gave one of the key presentations at the Development Trusts Association Scotland (DTAS) regional gathering recently.

More than 30 people representing DTAS members and aspiring members from across Perthshire, Stirling, Dundee and Angus attended the meeting, which was hosted by Comrie Development Trust.

The regional gatherings are organised by DTAS and aim to provide development trusts with bespoke advice and support. Attendees also have the opportunity to network, build partnerships and collaborate with other development trusts.

BRDT Development Officer Steve Johnson gave a well-received presentation at the session, detailing the work of the development trust - and how it works - and highlighting what Blairgowrie and Rattray has to offer.

He said: “We were delighted to be asked by DTAS to speak at the regional gathering and share some of our experiences with colleagues in the wider area.

“One of our aims for this year is to get out and about and share the stories of the good work that is being done in our town and the benefits it is having for our community with a much wider audience, and this session gave us a great opportunity to do just that.

“BRDT takes a ‘whole town approach’ and works with local people, community groups, businesses, the local authority and other stakeholders to help support and encourage a thriving and attractive town with a strong sense of community and identity.

“Everything we do is guided by the community and designed to have a positive impact for those who live, work and visit Blairgowrie and Rattray, and we are fortunate to be supported by some amazingly dedicated, enthusiastic and hard-working volunteers, as well as local businesses.

“We don’t just support our town, we actively facilitate its development and help to deliver what our community wants and our town needs. We work on behalf of the town and the wider challenge faced by communities like ours up and down the country is to generate enough income and financial support to ensure that the economic wealth is generated, circulated and retained in local areas.”

Chris Sanderson from DTAS commented: “Our regional gatherings provide an opportunity for development trusts and aspiring development trusts in the area to come together, share knowledge and learn from each other with guidance and advice from DTAS.

“We would like to thank Steve from BRDT for his presentation – BRDT is a great example of a community-led organisation working with and within a community to make the town stand out and be noticed and we very much appreciated Steve’s insight gained from more than a decade of experience volunteering and working in the sector.

“Development trusts, like so many other community organisations, face challenges both on a day-to-day and a more strategic level and it was really valuable to hear how BRDT faces these challenges and discuss possible solutions.”

For further information on BRDT or to get involved, either individually or through a group, please email [email protected].

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