Dunvegan Community Trust (DCT) was set up initially as an unincorporated association in 2009, with the primary aim of distributing the Community Benefit Fund generated by the Ben Aketil Windfarm. Since then, DCT has been distributing funding to constituted, not-for-profit groups that operate in or benefit the Dunvegan area. This has since been broadened to offer educational and employment grants, and small pots of funding for un-constituted groups who are running small scale or one off projects in the area for the common good.
By 2020 there was a real feeling that Dunvegan and the North West was being left behind - the community had been campaigning for a new school and sports facilities for years, the playpark was derelict, and there had been no affordable housing built in the North West for over 20 years.
With advice and support from SLCVO, in 2022 DCT successfully applied to become a SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) , which is a legal form unique to Scottish charities. Incorporated status allows DCT to run its own projects in a more ambitious and pro-active way, opening the door for the purchase of land and buildings and helping develop local assets for current and future generations. Our constitution has been approved by Scottish Ministers to ensure it is compliant with Right to Buy legislation, and we are also compliant with the Community Empowerment Act.
If you live in the Dunvegan & District Community Council Area ( please check the map on this page if you aren’t sure!), please sign up to be a member of Dunvegan Community Trust. Membership doesn’t oblige you to *do* anything, but it means we can keep you up to date with information about what we’re doing, without just relying on social media, and the more members we have, the better chance we have applying for funds for big projects, the more clout we have with local representatives and we’ll be more representative of the people who live here.
If you would like to get involved in a more active way, please do - and if you would like more information on how, get in touch with us! Whether you fancy volunteering on an occasional or regular basis, hosting a fundraiser for a project, lending your expertise or just supporting our events, it's all essential!
