Highlands and Islands Enterprise
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Case study

Kyle of Sutherland Trust

Kyle Dev Trust Web

Community-led development

Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust (KoSDT) was set up in 2011 to support the remote rural communities which lie along the central southern border of Sutherland in the Highlands.

Since it was founded, KoSDT has been at the forefront of supporting the community, in terms of employment, education, investment and wellbeing support. It has secured around £10m of external investment into the area.

As well as owning and managing several community assets the Trust has also created over 40 jobs and employed more than 60 people since 2011. Today is has 16 staff, which makes it one of the largest community development trusts in the UK.

It has gained a reputation for delivering high impact capital projects and projects dealing with local challenges and social issues such as fuel poverty, food poverty, inclusion, and health.

Community impacts

Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust is a social and economic driver for its community.

Published on 20/12/2023

c£10m

external investment for area since formation

£275k

hardship funding distributed direct to local people

100+

successful funding bids in last five years

40

jobs created

David at the Trust's Bothy

Investing to create opportunity

The Trust Manager is David Watson, who grew up in the area on a croft in Altass. He has two decades of experience working in economic and community development in the Highlands and Islands.

KoSDT’s ambition is to provide long-term, sustainable development and skilled employment opportunities for the local population, as well as refurbishing and managing projects that can provide work and benefits for local initiatives. KoSDT has also developed a number of projects which provide social support to those facing hardship and inequalities in the area. 

Projects include:

  • Buy-out of Bonar Bridge Post Office when it faced closure. It has now been turned into a Post Office and bike shop, Heaven Bikes.
  • An attached social housing unit which is owned by KoSDT and managed by Highland Housing Alliance. It has retained the same tenant since December 2019.
  • The regeneration of the centre of Ardgay village, which had been blighted by a derelict hotel for several years. The regeneration cleared the site and created Drovers Square, a new focal point and gateway to Sutherland. The regeneration also facilitated the development of new social housing units, the first to be built in Ardgay for many years.
  • Development of ‘The Barn’ Business Centre in Drovers Square, which is its central hub, and which also provides business units for other local businesses and initiatives.
  • Rebuild of the Falls of Shin tourist attraction. This was saved after the previous private sector operation burned down, and thanks to KoSDT and HIE it was redesigned and came back into use. A casualty of COVID, the building remained closed after the previous operator went into liquidation. However, the site has now been sold back into the private sector and should provide employment and economic benefit to the community for years to come.
  • Development of a community Kitchen Garden - with raised beds and a polytunnel beside The Barn. KoSDT has also built an outdoor education space on land behind the polytunnel, adjacent to Ardgay Community Hall.

I am really passionate about delivering long-term careers in the community with good quality employment opportunities. That is the key to keeping talented people in the area and making sure that our community remains vibrant and successful.

David Watson, Manager, Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust
Beth with her dissertation

People and skills

One of KoSDT’s successful outputs has been its volunteer graduate apprenticeship scheme. This saw local resident Beth Simco work full-time for the Trust in a variety of roles for four years, while also studying for an Honours degree in Business Management from University of Strathclyde’s Business School.

Last year she achieved a 1st Class degree with honours. Beth is now working as a Project Manager at the Trust, leading on support for those facing financial hardship, while developing projects to use the natural and beautiful environment of the area to boost mental health and wellbeing.

The projects she delivers on include:

  • The Sutherland Girls on Boards project that Beth developed with former employee Rebecca Dunphy and now delivers with KoSDT Activity Officer Olivia Saunders. This project has been expanded to deliver more paddle boarding opportunities for young women as well as developing strands to engage with other demographics, especially using our natural marine assets. In 2023 Girls on Boards delivered to more participants than in 2021 and 2022 combined.

  • The GHANA project delivers outdoor learning and education using existing community woodlands. Beth is coordinating a partnership project with Gearrchoille Community Woods and other partners to deliver intergenerational events in the woodland over the summer months.

  • Green health aspects will be delivered alongside established financial hardship support schemes, such as the Helping Hands Home Energy Support project, with new strands developed specifically to support those under 25 as a result of significant funding from the Westminster Trust.

Such is the success of this apprenticeship scheme for the Trust, it is open to taking on a second local person. The Trust recommends more organisations around Sutherland to do the same, as the value to giving hope and support to young people to study and stay in their local community is massive.

Find out more about KoSDT projects

An electric vehicle charging unit

A strategic future

Over the past few years, KoSDT’s role has evolved in response to the cost of living crisis.

KoSDT has a Community Food Stop Café, Free Community Food Larder, Local Shop Food Vouchers, Helping Hands Home Energy Support Fund, support for those facing childhood poverty, and provision of wellbeing, health and social activities.

Moving forward the Trust is very aware of the important strategic role it has for the community. It plays an active role in community planning, and successfully provides consultancy helping others to get their projects up and running.

Future ambitions are focused on strategic, structural and long-term interventions that actively support an increase in the number of young families of working age living locally.

The priorities to make this happen include available and attainable homes, superfast digital connectivity, viable career opportunities, reliable and properly scheduled transport, and affordable and available childcare.

We are here to support those in hardship caused by the cost of living crisis, and we also work strategically to provide hope to the area in terms of quality employment, good housing, health and creative support.

David Watson, Manager, Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust

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