Huntly Development Trust (HDT), an ambitious not-for-profit community organisation, is looking to recruit two people to join their team to deliver the ‘Huntly 2030’ vision for a greener, more inclusive and prosperous town in the heart of northeast Scotland.
HDT Chair, Jamie Wilkinson says that he hopes that the roles will appeal to people who want to be part of shared efforts to strengthen a close-knit, rural-centric community with people and the environment at its heart. “The roles focus on two of our current flagship investment projects – Greenmyres, a 63-acre farm within the rural catchment of Huntly and Number 30, a former department store which has been recreated into a community-owned multi-purpose facility in the heart of the town.”
For Number 30, the Trust is seeking a Business and Operations Manager to deliver the full potential of the multifaceted space. The historic building, which fronts Huntly Square, was acquired by HDT in 2019 through funding from the Aberdeenshire Town Centre Fund. A variety of other funders, including the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, has helped HDT refurbish the building. Number 30 includes a café bar/restaurant, a 60-seat cinema and performance space, a coworking centre, retail, gallery and event space, along with training and skills development spaces.
Jamie explains, “For Greenmyres, HDT is also seeking a Business and Operations Manager to build on what we have started to create at this special place. Since purchasing the site in 2014, we have been evolving it into a place where both local people and visitors want to spend time and where wildlife can flourish.
“Excitingly, with the help of the Just Transition Fund and Opportunity North East, construction work has just started on phase 1 of some family-friendly adventure tourism facilities at Greenmyres. These will create many more opportunities to use the site’s existing buildings and landscape for the benefit of all in our community.”
Jamie adds: “Both roles will be instrumental in creating a sustainable, net-zero future for the town and the Trust’s assets and involving Huntly’s community in making what the Trust does part and parcel of what the community has and values for their lives.
“Huntly is a wonderful place to live, it’s in the heart of northeast Scotland where we have beautiful landscapes, a rich local food larder and a welcoming community. Huntly is also really well connected, with its own train station and direct access onto the main regional trunk road, the A96.”
Huntly Development Trust has also invested in a travel hub in the town, providing e-bikes and a community car share scheme. The investment to date in Number 30 exceeds £3.6 million, and at Greenmyres, funding has enabled the development of a community venue and event space, as well as the installation of a community owned wind turbine, providing ongoing revenues for the Trust’s work and investment in projects.
Anyone interested in applying for either role, can find more information here: https://www.huntlydt.org/news/were-recruiting-for-two-new-very-exciting-roles-with-hdt