Special thank you as Falkirk Community Trust celebrates a decade of champions

It has hailed the successes of the last ten years as a result of a “decade of champions”.

The trust was established by Falkirk Council in July 2011 with the purpose of giving a new lease of life to the delivery of much valued community services.

Since then, the trust has been at the forefront of the development of culture and sport in the Falkirk area, delivering inspiring services and encouraging

widespread participation.

Following recent decisions, the council will resume control of these services from next April and Falkirk Community Trust will cease operations.

Over the last decade customer income has grown by 69 per cent to over £7 million annually, and over £5 million has been raised in grants and external funding by Falkirk Community Trust.

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It reversed an annual loss of £250,000 in the catering and retail company, and has generated profits of more than £1.4 million over the last five years, all of which have been re-invested in service delivery.

The Trust has also led the delivery of a great many projects directly benefiting the local Falkirk area, including the development of Helix Park and the Kelpies, a five star visitor centre which has positioned Falkirk on an international stage, with tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe flocking to the town to visit the sculptures.

There has been significant investment in the region’s sporting facilities since 2011 include the redevelopment of the Mariner Centre, Grangemouth Stadium, Bo’ness Recreation Centre, Carron Gymnastics Centre and Stenhousemuir Gym.

The Trust has also been at the forefront of the development of arts and culture in the region, proudly operating a range of venues, from Town Halls steeped in tradition to a unique cinema.

Income from the region’s arts venues during that time has increased by 84 per cent over the last 10 years and the area now boasts a range of popular events including HippFest and Fire and Light, a popular feature in VisitScotland’s Winter Festivals programme.

Maureen Campbell OBE, chief executive of Falkirk Community Trust, said: “As we bring this chapter of our journey to a close, and the organisation looks

forward to its future within Falkirk Council, I want to personally thank everyone for the passion, dedication, and commitment they have put in over the last ten years.

"I believe they can take a real sense of pride in everything we have achieved together, it has truly been a decade of champions and we couldn’t have achieved any of this without our dedicated network of team members, partners, volunteers and, of course, our customers.

"It’s hard to capture everything we have achieved in just a short two-minute video, but I hope this will capture the very essence of the life-enriching connections we have made and the pride we all share at having been very much a part of that success.”

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