Highland Perthshire Communities Land Trust Trustees Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 Deeember 2025 * 'Rural Skills raining Cours¢ 25 , DUN COILLIC HPCLT.. A Company limiied by Guar* aThl not having a kn ¢apital SC227934 Company numlw. A RegIsted S¢irttish Charity, Numiw. SC032801 R¢gistered off¢: J & H Mitthdl WS 51 Atholl Road PITLOCHRY PH16 5BU
llfLT SC227934 2025 Contents Pury)os¢s of the Tru51 Page L£gal and Administrdive Infonnation lard of Trustees BriefHi#ory of HPCLTand rav[D8 W11p1c5 Weather sl&i( Th¢ Hydrle(tric Natural History at Lkn Coill Rewth collaborati¢Ms io Vtsitin8 groups to Dm Coillich I Wid engageMt 10 Hcort ofswdand Forcsi Palthership {HoSFP) For¢siry at txin Coillich Communications 12 Fujmling for thn CoillKh (treaCh Proji 2025-28 14 PrOjt otricer s Report 15
HlfLT SC227934 2025 Finaticial Review aThl reserves 22 23 Indwd¢nt Examiner's R4N)rt to the McmtXS of HighlaThl Petthsbire Communities Land Twst Statement of Financiol A¢tiviiics (including I1¢ aJKi Ex&Knthture Aco)unt} f th¢ hv¢lv¢ months to 31 D¢cembcr 2025 26 Balanc¢ Sh¢et & 31 lknbeT 2025 Notes Ac¢(Mmts 31 tkcembu 2U25 31>32
HPCLT SC227934 2025 Trusttts, Report Wo1¢Tegeeran0n along theAlliMor. south-wesl ofDun ClI1¢h PurSeS of the Thist The Charitable PuTposes of the Trus( ts set in its Articles of Association. are l. to advance environmrntal protection and improvement by the restoration of native woodland and other habitats as important Mea of conservin8 and increasing biodiversity. 2. to advance education and training in Kology, land rnanagant and njral skilb by facilitating OppltieS for educational ¢sthblishMtr and Oth organisations. and 3. to provide and organise re¢rtional opportunities. primgrity by providing arLess to walking and to wildlife olwvatio A wide range of education. training and CA)nservation initiative5 is based at Dim Coillich. which the Tnst acquired in 2(#)2 IIPCLT acquired the Wee Birks Field in Aberfeldy in 2016. Legal and Administrative Infomation Constitstion Highland Perthshire Communities Land Tn¢ -the Tff, is a rpanY limited by Guarantrt and not Foving a share capital. Liability of each of its members is limited to £1. It w&s incorporated on I l Felmwy 2{ as ComEMny No SC227934. It is recognised by HMRC as a Charity for the purposes of Part I l of The Corporation Tax 2010 and is register with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) with Clwity Number SC032801. and tax file ref CR 53179.
HPCLT SC227934 2025 The Thtst Nwas blIsh undff a Manornndum of Asso¢iation whi¢h set out its Objeds and Powers and is governed undez its Articles of AsslatiOn. These were incorporated on 11 February 21XJ2 and amended on I l March 2c2 and 24 March 2018. Under these Articles, the direction and business of the Tn is to be nmwed by the B(Ard of Tnte¢s. Membership of the T1 is to any individual aged 16 or over or any organisation inter¢sted in supporting the Charitable Purposes. This can be Annual or Life membership. Each Member of the Trust has the right to attend and speak at the AGM {or any General Meeting) and has one vot< to be exerciwl in person or by proxy {or. if an or8anisatiory via its Authorised Rq)rntht1Ve). Exceptionally. Honorary Life Melnbership may be awardeAI by the Board of Trustees to an individual who has suttstsntially witributd to the Trwst or to its dhos. Board of Trustees The Board must have at least 5 Ixrt no More than 15 Members. of whom no more than 12 shall be elected. The BLwd may c(Fopt any numiw of individuals as ¢(H)pted Trustees who serve until the nextAGM The totsl number of all Tte£S must not exceed 15. Trnslees d¥rin8 Year Appoitilm¢n¢ Status Fiona Danks Keith Myers Jerany Robinson Having cornplthl a thryear te1 were re- ¢le(thl Snd thre¢-year terni 26 April 2025 23 June 2022 Douglas w(drOw Ridwd Paul 15 A}1 2023 C(Mnple th¢Ar cy¢le 25 Aprtl 2026. lan Harper lan Selmes Colin Stsnfield , 27 A1 2024 Can cmtinue for one more year. Andrew Walker 15 Apfil 2023 RLd 25 April 2025 , Elthl 25 Atyil 2025 Jamie Grant copted 16 January 2025 David Balfour 25 April 2025 Eld 25 April 2025 Kirsten Parrish 27 Apnl 2024 ld 15 S¢ptemtv 2025 Charlotte Davis Cfrorrtal 12 May 2025 Can be eld 25 April 2026
HPCLT SC227934 2025 Honorary Chair lan Selmes Pickston Meadow, GlenMOnd. PHI 3RX Honorary Vice Chair Fiona Danks. (knh Fortingall. PHI 5 2NF Honorary TTeasurer Keith The Cthp HOUK Croftnamuick. Aberfeldy. PH15 IVE Registered OtTi Solicitors J & H Mitchell WS 51 Atholl 14tl(xhry. PH16 5BU Bankers.. Royal Bank of Scotland Independent Examiner J M T Arnbrose FC& cfAIFellow) 8 Cleveden Road. Glasgow. G12 ONT Woodland re8ation on the west side of Dwi Coilli¢h Brief History of HPCLT and founding principles In 21, 421 over-grazfyl hectsres of a lo(xl deer fann adjacent to the iconic 1083 m mountsio Schiehallion were put on the Op market. It comprised heather moorland wÉth wet arw. some limestone outcrops. a small pinewood. two burns. and two hills. Dun Coillich {572m) and Dim Beag {403m). There w&s clear potential for a community buy-out for the purposes of Kologial resiorntion. open access tracks. and viildlife conservation. The
HtfLT SC227934 2025 purthase of £205k lSed Io(311y and the Highland Perthshire Communi¢tes Iand TrusL a knttish Charity, w&s set up through J & H Mitchell WS. Pitlochry. An existing Fore5ty Commission Grant Scheme was amended and adopted with the aim of estsblishing native woodland. 38 feral g(ots w¢ transfuted to the Kent Wildlife Trust. A car paTk for about 12 vehicles. an adjacent huL a toilei and a second carpark for 8 vehicles have all been built. Pon&s have been created. MO tFAn 230.1 trees hve been planted. by school pupils and other visiting groups as w¢ll as by prof1[1 plantry and considaable $Stained efforts continue to be made to Qtclude sheep and deu. A footbridge was built acro&s the Glengoulandie burn and a network of walking rout£s has beth ¢stablished. with boardwalks on the boggier areas. Sin¢e 2CK)9, a hydrfrde¢tric scheme on the Allt Mor has provided HPCLT with a regular income. By 2011 it was clear that a more professional appr4Mch to tree nuintwKe and deer control was nethd. Willie M¢Ghee came on b(wd as Forest Manager. providing a wealth of practical know-how and advice. an4 cnKially. considerable experien¢e of the workings of fOrty grant schemes and charity fund-raising. Early in 2016. the Dnn Menzies TTUSt offered theiT Iha field in Ai*rfeldy for community us& Situaled b&ween the Lowtt Birks and Burns Braq it consists of rough grassland and some tre. After consultation with Perth & Kinross Council, Aberfeldy Conununity Council and other local Trusts, HPCLT was felt to be the most appropriate b(Y to own the land. Ownership wa5 duly trnnsferred to HPCLT and, following I1 trndItiO we nam the land the Wee Birks Field. It will k keFrt as an OF spac¢ for public JoyMen¢ hapS with some picni¢ tsbl& seats and some adth'tiona] native flowering trees. Other uses may be consits In June 2016. Heather Hamilton was appointed as a part-lime ProJt Officer, resFK)nsible for the development and implejnentstion of a youth training and all-age volunteering initiative. thereby fostering links with the l(xal community. Initial funding for one yw was from SSE5 Sustaifygble Development Fund with additio1 funding from the Robertson TrusL the Hugh Fraser Foundation and Keltneyburn Hydro Group, the fundNsuw c4)OTdiTrated by Willie McGhK HPCLT'S Foresl Manager. The youth training COU eath ran for 20 wths, covering rural land rnana8ernt skills, such as dry-stone dYkI bTush-cutting and chain saw work. tree planting and maIntMan all helping to prewe trainees for employment in the land-lmsed sector. Heather also coordinat a regular programme of volunteer activities. SUbsequt funding from Th¢ Gannochy Tftl SSE'S Gn'tTin and Calliaclw Communtty Fund, the B&sAI Death TrusL Foresty & IAnd Scotland, The Enchanted ForesL and PKC secura the continuation of this wjst until the ed of 2021. Durin8 this period thue was a steady increase m danand for all ow Mmunity outreach artivits'es. In sponSe to this derna a new proirt artitled 'Positive Destination5', was begun in 2022. significantly expanding the reach of the previous wogrnmme.. 1ft1n8 the
HPCLT SC227934 2025 caCIty of the training eA)urses by 5(P/o and the level of supiy)rt we olyer our trainees" broadening the scope of ow edu(*ion delivY' and Increasing OUT engagement the local community. In order to manage this in¢Ttased provision. a part-time of A&sistant PrOjt Officer was Creat to support the Projert Offi. The e4nployment slatus of IM)th posts was improved by making thern ployS of HPCLT. with Nation Insur8nce and pension benefits (previously the PrOjx oificer was self-employed). We are grnteful to the Ganno¢hy TrusL SSE'S Grilyin and call1har Community Funl The Robertson TnsL the Hugh Fraser Foundation. the John Muir TrusL the Nirteveh Chanttble Tnt and the Basil Death Trust foT their financial support for the Positive Deslitiations proj The successor to Positive Destinations. the Community Outsch Proj began in Spring 2025. Funding was se£ured for an expanded rural skills training programme. together with two Modern Apprentictships. the latter providing ld employment leading to a fornMI SQA qualification. Additional ¢ommunity outreath will continue through volunteering and our work with s¢hools and the wider public. We are very grnteful io the (knnochy TrusL SSE'S Grilyin and Calliachar Community Fund and PeTth & Kinro&8 Council for the fundin8 that will allow this valuable work to go ahead. In July 2017. The Heart of Scotland Forest Partnership 0SFP} was launched. Its vision is to reate a restorol and viiyant landscape that provides opportunitias for wildlife to thn'v4 for local employment and for pw)le to enjoy. The partnership now comprises nine organisations: Foresty & Land Scotland HPCLT. the John Muir Tru8L Dalchosnie & Kyna¢han the Scottish Wildlrfe TrusL the w{Kland Trust S¢otlarf (knh Wood Wilding Project and two alyiliate partners. Grenich and the National T foT Soxland Ben IAwers- working together to connect woodlands ¢ate wildlife Corrido aLYoss Highland Puthshiro The Modern Apprenticeship inits'ativ< refeed to abov< involves the employmtht of two young people per year, who spd time vrking with some of the partner organisats'ons- in the first year with HPCLT. Foresty & tAnd scotlan Dalchosnie & Kynaclwn Estste and the National TTUSt for Scotland at Ben LAW9. In addition. the HOSFP rA)ntinu&s to provide opportuntties for trainees and volunteus to contn'iwte to work Dim Coillich and to benefit frorn the greater variety of ¢xpen¢nce Governanct HPCLT hes become a wOgre]veIy more compl¢A organisation OV the yea. wticularly since taking on onployees: at the sarne time. the amount of fundi for a number of different proj has increas. This section outlines our orgarttiOnal stnthres that able ¢ffeKtive managemenL
HFCLT PL227934 2025 HPCLT'S Strategi¢ Governance Framework provides a struL#y to how the Trus owate that eSure5 traThsparency and guides timing of strate£ic planning through an annual ¢y¢le, so that all are aware of what neab to be done. by whu) or whith meding aThl by thm. It also contsins details of the sU¢0mmit&S that manage the ThLSt's work. This should assist new TTUStee5 in understsnding how the charity nll how the r¢$wlbIlItieS of all Tnstees are strategically managed and will help individual Truste in tsking S¢If1¢ responsibilities within a cycle. It should also a)sure that ¢ulthral knowledge of the charity is maintained as personnel change and that there is a flow of timely strategic decision making. It was drnfd and discuswl by Trustrts in July 2024. edited and then agreed at the Board Meeting in September 2024. It is as requir&l. This Framework should be read alongside the Am)ual ALXion Spreadshe& with its dat for adions in the annual Gyd4 including timing of appropriale t)i(S for $IderatiOn at meetings through a year. The spreadsheet thbs Govtt eath ttustee'5 tenure to help awaren in Succ10n planning. the ann1 cycle of actions to ¢on$ider. as an agenda guide for Board meetin8s' AGM critical dates and events. to assist in AGM plm'n& the Trustees skills audil to help ensure the Board includes a range of skills important for HPCLT. and grant information so Trustees are awore of fimdi Strate8ie RiskAssesJnKnt As part of EIPCLT'S long.Stsnduw Health & Safety Policy. there have bee operation risk assessments coverin8 stsff and voltS worknng on the hill and in-by< and for fire risL fencing. path and tree work. as well as for opernting bnh cutters and chainsaws. In additio a StrntegiG Rtsk Asse&8ment for HPCLT wa5 ro5earche<l Construct and adopted from July 2024. It helps Trustees understand how the charity is doin& p)tenttal sources of rAsL its significance. how we are to manage or miti8ate the risk and is responsiblo It is reviewed at least twice a year by Tntees. Dedaration of Interests Policy The Declaration of Interests Policy applies to all HpCLTTnt¢ts and staff and was adopted from the September 2024 Board meeting. HPCLT starts from the position of trusting the integrity and prof10n&llsM of all its Trustees. who. in accordance with Gharity law. are rquir&l to act in the best interests of HPCLT, within the ternts of the govtrning document and in ac£ordance with relevant legislation at all times. Most TnteeS will howevu have a multiplicity of interests {pusoMI, domestic. professional). any of which may. on Or101L compete with those of HPCLT. it is almost impossible to avoid conflicts altogether. they neol to b¢ identifig openly. managed etTectively. and recor& kept accorth'ngly.
HPCLT SC227934 2025 This PK)licy aims to help individual Truste in a position of potential confi1¢ and the ¢)th Trustees on the Bcrfdrd. to know what they ned to do to addr thtse circumstances. The Policy defines what are and are not ¢onnicts of Inter &8 defined by the Olyice of the Scoth'sh Charity Regulator (OSCR). Disclosure opportunitie5 0ur twiL%.' annually by each tnstee completing a Re8iStw of Interests Fiym vthich is rdurned to the Chair. and at the start of any Bcth Mting where an agenda item is to declare any F¥)tential cAmfiict of interest with an item on the agenda Weather Ststion at Dun Coillich The weather slation at Dun Coillich recor& tanwaturq rainfall. wind speej and direction, solar radiation. atmospheri¢ prTe and relative humidity. The 5thti1)n IS L¥)nnled to the Weather Underground nthork of personal weather slatioAs and (an be accessed via the following link- Nrte the ststion is solar powereAI and wnne¢tion can be unTeIiabl¢ in the winter months. 2025 was the warni&st year in Hi8hland Perthshire with avmge 2*hour temperaturas over 9°C, the highest in the last l(>years of rttorded dats. The Spring and Summer montlLS we unusually dry with only 39cm of ratn over six months. The total rainfall for the year w&8 119mi. around 14(In below avuagq with the low rainfall rducing electrA¢ity output and ratsl incA)me from the hydro schem& The hottest day of the year was the 12th of July when the tempwatwe of over 31T was recorded (hottest day was 24.trc in 2024). The Hydo-electric Scheme As discu&841 in the Finala1 Review. rental income from Keltneyburn Hydro in 2025 was £13.351 (2024: £17,129) with generation related rts1 incnme down in 2025 due to the unusually dry Spnng and SUner weather and a outsge at the plant in septber. Natural History at Thln Coillich The staff of the Royal Botanic Corden EdinburglL headed by Dr Aline Finw (Conservation Gendicist) and Relxcca Drew Conservation Horticulturalist). Ix)th working for the Scottish Plant Re¢overy team. have planted three SleS of rare plant in suithble habitats at Dun Coilli¢lL These are- Alpine Blue Sowthistle (Cicerbih alpina}. Whorled Solomon's Seal (Pofygonathm rI1cl11a1Urn) and Snwll Cow Wheat {Melampyrnm sylwlicum). These plants are all rare in Scotland although nwsarily in other parts of Europe. The RBGE team
HPCLT SC227934 2025 have PTopagattyJ the plants in their plant nursery in Edinburgh from spec1nw of (xrefully chosen genetics. Small Cow Wheal is a hemi-kyrasite whos¢ T&)ts tske nutrients from the rcrt)ts of grasses. and it h&s seas, which have Structur called elaiosomes that are attractive to ants. As a result, the ants play a role in the dispersal of the sefyts. This bthaviour is bffi'ng Studi by Breadalbane pupil, Henry Mclntyr4 at the suggestion of Dr Finger. Both Henry Mclntyre and Sarnh Oflynn (also a Breadalbane wpil) have a¢a)rnnIed staff from the CairngoTms National Park Authority in the s¢ar¢h for rare ants (Forniica exse¢th) in Rannoch and Dun Coillich Tntee. Jamie GranL in Glen Lyon. Thry are both heading for biologi£zl courses at UnIv$lty and have expr1 a wish to be 'Young Consmationists. at Dun Coillich. Dun Coillich has four species of ants. Lasius flavus (a sm&ll yellow ant), Lamus Niger (a small black ant), Myrnii¢a rubm (a small ant with a formidable sting) and Formi lugubns (a larger wood ant). There is just one forniio7 lugubris ants. nesL which is indi(xtive of a more forested history for Dim Coillith. As with many ant s1¢$ they have a symbiotic relationship with aphids Bnd in their se an aphid called Dysaphis sorbi that lives on the leaves of the Rowan tr. causing the leaves to curl into a gall. The ants enter the gall and take sweet honeydew from the aphid& In return they pnrt&t the aphids from predators and parnsites. A large Fort of the reasoo for the rarity of Alpine Blue Sowthistl4 Whorled Solomon's Seal and Small Cow Wheal is thatihey have suffered excessive grazing by sheep and dett. At Dun Coillith they are prote&d from this by the perimeter fence and in addition. where appropri*< the plants have protect&l with vole guard& Bird and plant surveys have ¢ontinueAI to be undertaken using the Dun Coillich network of paths and the Goulandie burn as traects. These studi&% continue to suggest that Whitethroats and Whin¢hats are benefiting from the conservation measures being taken. Climate ¢han8e Is also having an dTeL# with Nuthatshes bernIng common where once they were absent. Hen Harriers are a Dun Coillich speciality and a pair suclxssfully rai chicks this year. It is always a great SPCle to see th¢ 'Sky Danc, displaying in spring and to witness the skilled food passffi as the male tqsses prey to the female in a gTrceful midair manoeuvre. An unexpected event in spring of 2025 wds the appwatKe of a pair of beav&4 which built a series of small dams and a lTrJge along the burn that runs along the boundary Eetween Di Coillich and the John Muir Trust Fast Sthidthllion rerVe. Thtse eavS may have been a pair traSlocated by Forest and Land Scotland to L(Kh Kinardothy. By the end of the summer
HPCLT 227934 2025 the beavers had moved on. but they PAve left behind wdcome pools. which will be a g&t habitst for dragonfli&s and other aquatic creatures such as water voles. In March 2025 Albert Bonrt of At¢rdeen UnivcT5ity survey Dun Coillith fly water voles and he also trained apprentice Tony Marshall in surveying techniques. Albert found two active water vole colonies. one at whitebn.dge and one on the western side of the hill bordering John Muir TTUSt land. At the other previously identsfied area (near the hydro water intake) no recent sign was found only historic signs of water vole presence. Further surveying by Tony of other wIttial areas for water vole found no further Colonies. but we can repeat this ourselves In firture yea[5. This winter there have been plty of FieldfaS and ReAingS visitin& but as yel no waxwings. Dun Coillich has from coMpt{y planting of native tree5 by SSE on the slopes north of the matur¢ plantation and it is also intenda that montane scrub viill be piant&l in the higher areas. The guided ]kS program has Continued this year with the following walks - E¢osystffft restoration. regeneration and rewilding at Dijn Coilli¢h - is it working? . led by Forest manag Willie McGhee. The StTU8gle for Existenc4 led by Richard Paul - TnLStee and Volunt&T. Meet the Badgers Art ll- led by Fred cochr Assisiant Project Ol¢er. Black Grouse at the Lek! Part Two- Led by Fred Codwan4 Assistant PrOjt ote£r. Unfortunately. 'Where there Rock there are Lichffls. _ leA by Petta Vergunst had to be Cancell twi flY tttause of illne55 and sendlY of the weather. We have been cnnscious that Wh the Trust was first eslablished no bAse-line biodiversity study was done and so in an effort to r1]fy this we are UndlakIng an 'over-the-fence' study to compare land on the John Muir TnLst East Schiehallion R¢gerve. which is not protected from herbivor¢s with land on Dim CoillidL whith is w0eAl from herbivora We are grateful to the John Muir Tn for their pmisslon to estsblish a tranSt on their land. A similar transrt with the same aspect and approximately the same altitude, is being used on Dun Coillich for compansoTr So far. the birds and plants have been stsdirt but we are discussing which othu laxa might alw fonn of the Tr¢h. At T(xnphubil, which is just outside of the boundw of Dun Coillith, thtre a two lim&qtone quarri¢s. One is likety to be a very suitsble habitat for the intrcduction of Oblong W011a (a rare fem) by RBGE. The Oth quarry hs be investigaled by Anthony Mccluskey of Butterfly CoerVatiorL and he has able to show us Northem Brown Argus buttertly eggs on the leaves of Rock Rose. He also observed a Hummingbird Hawkmoth at the site.
HPCLT SC227934 2025 The rare butterfty. the Pearl B(red Fritillary. continue5 to thrive on Dun Coillich where it makes use of violets for the caterpillars to feed 0 dead bracken for sheltsring the adults in spring and bugle for the adults to find neL#at. Research collaborations Royal Botani¢ Garden EdItibUr (RBGE) Our collaboration with RBGE is noted in the Nalural History section above. Suitable habitats at Dun Coillich for five plant species that are rnre in Scotland have be identified. Specimens of Wyth Elrn. selthd for p)ssible resistsn to Dutch elm diseas4 have been planted and theiT health will be monitored over the yea Buttey Conservation We supported a proje£t by Buttertly Conservation aimed at fostering community intertst in buttertlies and moths as Imrt of the goal to conserve some of the rarest Sp1&$. including Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Northern Brown Arg vknich are found at Dim CoillidL Further details are In the NathralHislory seL#ion above. in March 2025 we partned with the Univetsity of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) tre for Living Sustsinably to inde evalUe t wtdff impa¢X of our Rwal Skills Training and write a protocol kn help us to ith evaluate outcomes moving forwar(i Furth d¢tsils are Sho in thePnpJec¢ OfficYr& Repprt Sl0n below. Visiting groupsl Wider community engagement Visits organised as part of the Positive Destinations and Community Engagement Projects are noted in the Pmjea Officer& Report below. Other visits to Dun Coillich were made to seek HPCLT'5 views andlor to learn more atx)ut our activities. Throughout 2025 we host1 10 other 8r(wps at Dun Coilli¢lL We I1 guided walks and tslks on site for walking holiday group5 from Wildern5 Scirtlan4 the U3A 8roup from Pitlochry, a team of Natur&ot stsff manbas wue keffl to see what is achievable in tern of community led ecologiLzI restoration and Foresty and land Scotland's Trees and Timt Apprenti. We continued to offer experience days to Survivors from the RASAC Ra Crisis Centre in Perth as part of the Cairngos National Park Visitor EXpienCe We also went out aDd aiM)Ut in the local area Spreading the word of what we do more widety through a number of n&working opN)rtunities. this Includ prewtin8 at a gathwing of the Nature COnntIOnS Partnership run by Perth and Kinro&s Countrystde Trus( also preSting at the Wilderness Film Festival at the BiTks Cinmw Abttfeldy. back in the Spring. Fred also 10
HPCLT SC227934 2025 gave talks to I(1 Women's Institute and Probus groupB furthu SPrding the word of what w¢ do. Some tntstees also visited Daunafkfield near LUnrtY. a community LX)nservation proiecL to share ideas experiaKes Heart of Scolland Forest Partnership {HoSFP) Review The main elem•)t of the HOSFP work in 2025. Involved HPCLT, working in parthership to share Iwo apprntiw wrth the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and Dalchosnie and Kynanchan Estst The apprenticeships are for l year in Rural Skills SCQF (sclSh C[1t & Qualifications Framework) Level 5. OUT two Modern Aptffffltices (Tony & Jamie) worked through 2025. doing forast WOTk on Fis lan4 workn'ng on montane scrub rtstoration * Ben Lawers with NIS, and learning atK)ut stk handling with staff at Dal¢lKsnie and Kynachan. They dMI extrnelY well and we wish them eVY suc¢ess irt their noxt life vtures. On a more downbeat not& We lost T¢Jn C¢xke. John Muir TnL8t (JMD Mounlain W(KJdland Project Manager at SthJ'ehallioJL and cathle Thoma5. Tom's Rw'onal Manager. We wish Tom and Cathleen well in their next e&V0urs. voluntruing at Schiehallion has be loj by Cumbria tosed staff - SI5(*¢d by Unt1 Utilities. Tom's departure has left no JMT staff on the ground at Schiehallion and some uncertainty over the potential staffing structure at JMT into the future. With this uncertainty, HPCLT has taken on the tempK)rary role of convening HOSFP meetings in 2025 and during 2026 we will hand the HOSFP baton on to FLS in the new amiual rolling of HoSFP'chair'. National Tnt for Scotland has also experi¢n¢¢d some stsffing'churn. at tawers, howev they are in the pro(w of rruiting new site-lxsed staff and hve been bY planting montane scrub and providing voluftteering opwrtunities for & host of groups. Foresty and Land Scotland have been surveying their largScale naturnl re£eration at Frennich (180ha) and tree planting at Lassintulli¢lL Forestry at Dun Coillich In 2025 our annual thernial drone survey. done by Ben Ham)wer Wildlife on the 11)h of April, recorded 12 deer. l O Roe deer (mostty bucks) and 2 Red deer (a hind with ¢alfj. This was one more than in 2024 and th¢ deer were mostly clustered on th¢ Schiehallion border. in denser areas of planted and re8enerated trees and scrub. This is likely because this is the least disturbed area providing g( Cover.
HPCLT SC227934 2025 lan Muir and ke Morhulffj our deer stslkwj hav¢ been out regularly through the 2025 stalking season and culled 4 Roe deer and l Red deer. A huge thanks to them for their efforts. Piers Voysey of the Communty W(N)dland Association has been hdping us with foresty mapping (using QGIS) and forest management (survvj methodologies). in the expeciation that we will submit three grant applicatiors in 2026 for ACC (fun<Ls to help Heather & Fred and the teams to maintatn our tAth network). Natural re8eneration (funds on the back of the small and not so small self-seeded trees appeanng around the site). and Suslainable Forest Management (grant whid) will pay for keeping tsbs on our deer wpulation and will fund habitat rnonitoring). The latter will help to gauge thdher deu are having an imp&ct on our Shru and trees and whether we need to keep tre off some of our valuable open spaces su¢h as mires. Lw and base rith grasslan As in Fyevious years. there is no signifit Obvio tree damage- some frayin8 by Roe bucks and leats buds nippoa off - despite our resident p)pulation of Roo This could be because ther¢ is so mu¢h higher quality (relatively sF*aking) vegetation for them on DC. in Comparison to neighbouring land, and pmibly thie to prolifJ¢ trte and shn)b regenention. We finally signed our Errothty Biodivwsity Net Gain agreemort with SSEN and r1ved funds to build a new boundary fenL% betwrt us and Forestry and Land Scotland. this going from Whitebridg¢ to Bra of Fc6s. The work w&s o)mpleted in Octob& by Matthew Boag of MGB Shephttding. Matthew did a good job, and we have now got a prety secure perimeter fence around all of Duti Coilli A large thank you to SSEN for equipping us with anoth¢r deer secure Ix)undary. The next step for our Errochty Bi(Mliversity Net Gain W)j# will be plantin8 of 5.5 ha of new mountain woodland in the fust wt of 2026. along the devation LTags below Dun Coillich - with a mix of montsne plants will AlUde mountsin willow4 juniper, ddbiTCh and including scrubby sLx)ts pine. Communications Sinc% April 2024 HPCLT and Dun Coillith have teen promoted much more dTectivety and consequently are more in the public thanks largely to the inspirational input of trustee and PR wnsultant Kirsten Parrith During year and a half as a trustee of HPCLT. Kirsten threw herself into making sure that our w)rk in landscape regenetation and community involvement is better understood and applatl. She led on the develownent of our inspiring new websit< producing a quarterly new51etter. ensuring better and more consistent branding across all our work and spreading word more effectsvely through social medi local community newslettws including the Quair and Pitlochry Life, Killin New5 and elsewher4 and a PowPoInt presentation adapt&4 for different audienc. Tntstees we 12
EtPCLT SC227934 2025 sorry when Kirsten stepped tM¢k from HPCLT due to prassure of other ¢ommitments. but having estsblished better Vdys of pmmottng our worK this can now be taken forward by staff and other trustees. Trus would like to thank Kirsten for all the work she has done to rdise the profile to HPCLT. Newsletters The quartlY newsldter lus become a key means to communicate with m&nbers and the wider public. with seasonal u&thtes and articles atx)ut ecology. our developin8 woodland community work and our successful youth trninee and apprenti(hlPS programmes. along with vtews from OUT enthusiasti¢ volunteeTS. llw)k8 to all those involved wth putting these newslettus together. in particular Colin Stsnfiel Dun Coillich HPCLT vS apprcffd¢hd by the Perth and Kinr(tss Countryside TnLSt (PKcf) about the possibility of them making a film about our work. Climate Conn&t provided funding for three films be made about community CODseMtion proj the other two being the West Stormont Woodland Group and Rewilding Denmthfield PKCT is a Scottish charity working across Perth and Kinross to womote the enjOYmt and consiton of the countyside. encourage people to learn al)out it and find ways to and (are for it now and for firture geratIonS. The resulting film 1$ an inspiring piece about Dun Coillich's habital rthxation WOTk and the amazing people involved. We are currently Working on producing a shorter film more suitsble for sharing on social media and in other channels. We would like to thank all of those involv& in¢ludAng everyone who vrts interviewed for the film. It will be available on our website shortly. Working with lo¢al b$inesseJ HPCLT would like to develop bdter links wrth local businesses interested in suppothng our work to restore precious local hakn.lats and bring more pwle into nature. With the advice of HPCLT tnLStee Jarnie GranL ovmw of the Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters. we have drawn up a partnership p¢kage to offer to local busin$. whereby they donate an annual sum to HPCLT. and we feature them on our website and stsff members participate in events at Dun Coilli¢h. Airnd at busin&sses aligned with HPCLT'S charitable purposes. we hope this will encourage more local businesses to SUPPKVt our work and help to raise our profile. We thank Glen IOn Coffee Roasters for beo)ming our fiT5t busin$ prtner and we look fmvard to working with 13
HLT SC227934 2025 Other ongoing Communications work Updating the v4ebsite- this work is ongoing as and Wh we need to add inforniation. such as aknut the Apprenticeship Scheme and our new bsin Fortnership scheme. The Facebook page (Dim Coillith Community tand) now has over 6(1 members and is being used to share infornution alKJUt ecologi1 raxJrdin& other areas of work and to pyomote evfflts. The walks leafld has bem updated to make it easiu for pw)le to join as members. Our website is Funding for Dthn Coillich Outreach Pn)ject 202&28 The successful three-year Positive Destinations proje¢¢ finished at the end of 2024, so the focus towards the end of that year was to funthaise for a reviwj proje(X to run from 2025-2028. Fund5 wtre sought for the Dun Coillich Outr} proje¢ to include a 3week traineeship prOjt for 8 young people and the employment of two apprentices to complete a Level 5 apprenticeship in nwdl skills njn by HPCLT in partnership with For¢sty and tand Scotland (FLS). The National Tt for Scotland (Nrs) and the Dalthosie and Kynachan estates. The fU]S also support OUT volunteer. public ents and education progrdmmes. Thanks io the d'tion of HPCLT ProjeL# Offictt Heather, the followin8 funds were Tais for the start of the project" Gannochy Tn- £27.623 annualty for 3 ye5 SSE Grlffin and Callachiar Community Fund- £11142 annually for 3 years PKC Traineeship funding- £30.((KJ for first year reapply FLS apprenticeship contribution- £11349 annually for 3 yeaTS NTS Apprenticeship contnbution - £1 1349 annually for 3 yeats Dalchosie and Kynachan CA)ntribution- £3.194 annually for 3 years PKC Futures for All (foi apwentices)- £12.IXX) for fiTSt year then reapply Skills Development ScA)tland - £3.(¥ varying annualty depdant on ages of the apprentic HPCLT contribution - £lO.(XX) Most of these fimds are awdilable each year for the three-year tsrn) of the project. aprt from the PKC Traine4ship funding which was rA)nThitted for one year only due to funding restrictions wlthin the Council. and the PKC Futuras for All funding. We would like to thank all these funde[5 and our pmthers for their generous supw)rt of our work and for enablin8 US to provide young people with such valwible training to suPrt than to seaire work in the land-basl S as well as awbling US to ddiver our other Community outreach projects. 14
HPCLT SC227934 2025 Project Officer's Rert The Trustees have askfyl the Projett oEfi¢u to rwt on the outcom&s of the cornmunity outreach activities ovtt the year. Her rqkn is included here. and it clearly shows that we are (ntinuing to connect with many people and thereby bn'ngtng significant benefits to the l(Kal ¢ommunity. Pojitive Destination Prngrnmme 202&202& Outcomes and EvaluaiioD. 2025 was a big year for the Tntst with res to our community engdgernent and rural skills training delivery. It saw us comple* the delivery of the 'P05itive D&stinations' programme, which ran from ApTiI 2022- April 2025 whith ffic0msse all our outreach work. including the rural skills traffting. volunteer day4 work with $chlS and other groups and our programme of public events and site visits. Over the 3 years of this proje¢ we connected with ovff 17(K) peopl& Deliverables". Ran 6 Rural Skills trnining with 36 young ppIe (aged1&25) MpletIng the pr0m& Trainees gain LANfRA qualifitiOnS in dwnsaw. brush cuttin& ATV se and pticide spraying as well as outdooT first aid training and non-certified training in drystsne dykin& ropes access. frncxn& woodlandlhabitat managemaiL deer management and prncti(al exwience of footpath maintenance and tr¢¢ planting supporting them to fake their first steps lo a Lweu in the rural land-kn sertor. 900h of our trait moval on to a positive destination after completing the trainin& Hosted 64 educational visits, including tree planting days for all lo Sl pupils. hosting older secondary pupils through the Pitlochry High School Junior Ranger Programme, assistin8 Wlth the S314 Rural Skills classes from Breadalbane Academy. and providing outd(y)r learning perienCeS to lo1 primary schools. In total 854 school aged young pwle were involved in our education outrea¢h programrno These $SlOn$ are now eMb]dl in the h()I calendars. Organised 218 volunteer days over the three yeaT4 with our volunteers giving 8250 hours to the project. Most of the land Improvements that have happened at Dim Coillich are due to the hard work of our volunteers and are extremely grateful to them for their hard work. dedication and for bringing a whole lot ofjoy to our wee hill. Ran a full programme of public engageMet events and supported site visits. offering 42 public events (includmg guided walks and (x)mmunity barbtyues) and hosted 16 visitin8 groups. 911 pIe attended our public events and site visits from interested 15
HPCLT SC227934 2025 groups.. 415 of the pIe visitin8 Dim Coillich for the first time for one on these events. Positive DestiDAtM Days on Site Practical Workday Work Hovro Total no individuals Proje¢¢ Outcornes 2022 -25 Voluntws 218 1722 8250 414 Rural skills 159 778 (with 36 graduating) Education 63 4478 854 Public Eventswisiting GrouF6 58 911 atten 415 Totsl activity 498 3746 17389 1722 Beyond the rnw numbers the proje£t had wits IM£ in l¢mi$ of pasitive outcomes for those we have Mgaged with many of these wider impacts being highlightfyl in the 2024 annual rqx)rt In 2025 the benefits to the tiainees indwdently evaluat1 by the UHI reswch as hi8Mighted klow. Evaluatiw of Rural Skills Trining in prtnenhip with UHI We have collecteAI anedotal evidence ovtr the years that the rural skills tsaining has had a positive long-ttrm impact on the futyre prospeL*s for the tr4inets. but we wantol to Check that what we deliver was in fact doing thaL To tlwt end in March 2025 we Partnered with the UniveT5ity of the Hi8hland5 aDd Islands (UHI) Centre for Living Suslainably to Independently evaluate the widu impact of our Rural Skills Training Prograrnm4 engaging with trainees who have Complet the lrninlng with since the vay first coutse tA¢k in 2016. and lte a protocol to help u5 to bth evaluatr outcomes Moving forward. The r¢gearch showed that the training". Direttly helped Irainees rd employment. "Dun Coillich one of ihe decidingfaclors when intsrviewedfvr myjob. AlddY Iknryng qualificalions made a big difference." Hdped with eonfidenee- through leadership pra¢tt¢4 new social and practical skills.. "I had low confidepKe in mNelf course helwd me ach oul and opw)rthnilies andmade me alise I was o7p7ble ofachieving My1&, "I became a much stmng¢r le¢vler athll'm much Trre selfrrelianl now. ' 16
HPCLT SC227934 2025 Social grnwth and grIndIng. improving m•tsl health.. "The coiirse hel me Olorne difficulftes Iviih srtializing and wilh being fft0 confidenl as arSon. ' "Was really goodfor my nnIal health - woA7ng a sei iask wilh hern. ouidoors in a b¢auhfvlplac& usually leftJeelinga lth mon upbeai/oNimisli&salisfied.- Self-rnilijation fmding n¢w PAth$: The Course new career and life EHths' intr(MJu¢ing new opportunitie5 and sw)tlighting enjoyable and Ob"nable role& "li made me realise how much l enjo w0ng01dr andhow go li isfor me" knthwledgeable wet amazlng interesting etYJagin9 rewarding friendty anxiety hardworking educational insightful lfve varied leaming inspiring welcoming biscusfs useful challenging enjoyment great enjoyable varlety confidenc&gN*)g practlcal satisfying impacrful meaningful confldencevboostlng fulfilling enlightenlng community soggy tlrlng laugh support good unforgetrable excellent helpful gratifyiftg laughter informative motivating friendship fantas ioyfilled worthwhile benelklal Inclusive bnlliant fun Iyonl cloudshowing mIen(S (hc wonls, thai besl sum up iheir ¢oyrse e4xrience. The full evaluation report be read her¢ We are grateful to the Scottish Funding Council Stsndard Ennovation Vou¢her programme for sUppting this rCh. Following on from the success of this collaboration we are hoping to conts'nue this partnership with the UHI team in 2026 to look at the wider mmunity impacts of the work that we do. and how we (zn furthw in¢reas¢ this imcL Looking forwanl: Dun Coillieh Community Engagemtht Project 2025-2028 The success of the Positive DtInationS programme has not been the end of OUT community engagement activity at Dun Coillich. in fact its SU h&8 led us to build on what we have achieved so far. Thanks to funding from The fjannochy Trust. SSE'S Griffin and Callia¢har Community Fun(L Perth and Ksnross Council and The Robutsott Tnjst we have suLKessfully sec4red fimding to run the Cor¢ of these outreath a¢tivitie5 until 2028 under the new banner of the Diin Coillieh Community Fgagement Project. As with all of our programme delivery we Iwv¢ made a few changes bHsed on feedback from past IHrticipants. The biggest develowent has beth the launch of our exciting new Modun Apprenticeship Scheme which happ in Spring 2tr25. 17
HFtLT SC227934 2025 Modern Appr¢n¢i¢eJhip in Rural Slullg Born out of discussions that stsrted back in I0(do. it has been very stdtisfying to see this project get off the ground. and we are pleased to report that its first year has been a succ&1 As with most of what we dq working with otha5 is always of berit to us as a small charity with limited capacity. For the Modern Apprentieeghip we have partnered with The National Trust for Scotland at Ben iawers Fortstry and Scortland, and Kynachan and Dalehosnie estatfy with Rural Skills Scotland acting as the learning provider. The project will see employ two appremtic&8 each year for the next three years with apprenti being Truited from our Rural Skills Traineeship gradua. We were delighted lo be able to employ two p&st trainees (Jami¢ Lean and Tony Marshall) as our first ever Modern Apprenti. A Modern Apprentirzship (MA) is a Job which lets pP]e earn a wage and gain an industry- recognis qualification for the skills a(4uireA through specific training and on-the-job experienc& Our appra)ti¢es will athieve a Modern Apwentice5hip in Rural Skills (SCQF level 5) comprising an SVQ in Environmental Conservation as well as gaining rther industy re¢ognised qualifirntions and. thanks to the diverse range of partner4 we will be able to offer eX[ure to a wide range of t¢tial rurnl land sth jobs. Th¢ apprentices will spnd nt of their time with us at Dim Coillich, with week a month spent with FLS and Trtrs as VRII &8 l(l)A of their time 1ft8 sptht on the Kynadwi o%tate. The apprenti(xship (and our wider pathway including the work with schools and the tratnee5hip) ha5 receivd wider rwition, wtth Jmie being shortlisted for the PKC Apprentice of the Year award and Tony being shortlisted for the LANTRAALBA Apprentirxhip awards. More widely there has iwi intttest from other organisations and a8en¢ies who are interested in learning more about how numing the apprfflticeship using a rArtnership model could potentially be replicpAI elsevAl¢ in the county. We are happy to able to contribute to the wider nY&St10n$. Rvral Skills TraiDeeJhip Our flagship Rural Skills Traineeship has continued. Following CO$u]tim with our past trainett and employers we made the dlsiOn to &xtend the rA)urse from its wevious 20 weeks to 30 weeks. This means that we att now only nu)nin8 one ¢OUTse a year instead of the previous two we have increased the numbers from Six to eight tiainees per course. We believe that offeTing a longer CA)urse will give us time to not only deliver the training side of the LThirs4 but also allow more tsme for skills Corsolidatio giving the trainees the opportunity to put what they have learned into practis& It will also give us s(y)pe to further widen the experience we offer Eight young pe4)ple rnpleted the course in 2025. The ttainee5 rA)mpleted training in ATV handlin& chainsaw and bntsh ¢utt¢r use. outdoor first ai<L dry stone dyking and fencing. For 18
HPCLT SC227934 2025 the fiTSt time we also otTffed the trainees wlified training in Basic Canyon1 Lch was definitely one of the highlights of the trainin8 programme this time round. Alongside the fonnal training the trainees gain expuJth¢¢ in tree plantin& aftcor4 hand weedin& bFashing and monitoring. They l)uilt boaidwalk4 cinpl&ed wood Working projects, got to gr1 with path work and fe4Ke nuintenatKe. We also sptht time visiting IIKal sites learning about different approaches to land managemfflt and exploring the wide rdnge of outdwrlTural Care options available loozlly and helping them to devdop a wider understanding of wral industries. Throughout the course we workeAI to ¢ with the trainees and a wits group to develop wider employabilityltran8ferrable skills. included giving than all a than to develop their leadership skills. Working c105ely as a group also gave theni the chance lo develop their intrysonal Communication skills and the time and $pA¢e to learn about themselves. wlHe their own skill sets li4 where they have more to learn and where they ex¢elled We continue to offer flexibility in the trainin8 pro8tamme &8 it means we are delivering training that trainees are interested iffj which in turn means they achieve more, have a sense of 0$hip over the coursq are more motivated and uhimately more likely to a¢hieve a positive destination. As part of this apwoAch this year we offered the group the chance to complete an intr(Mlu¢tion to (YOn1n8 ¢thificate as they all exL%lled during the one4ay ropes skills session with a l(Kal outdwr com[y. They all sucwfully completed this tifiCate and for most of them it Oped their eyes to the world of adventure tourism. which most of them didn't know w&s a viable fithwe career path available to them. As always, we would like to thank evuyoDe who gives up their time to surwt our trainees. being able to offer them a 'hands-on' perspertive of the wide variety of potential career options available to them is really valuable and one of the most hi8hly rated rtS of the programme Education In 2025 through our wider education outreach proirt w¢ ddivered 14 sessions workin8 with a totsl of 233 sch<1 aged yoimg ppIe. This is slightly less than in recent years. partly due to smaller class SI in schools and issues with trdrtswjrt up to Dun Coillich. but also due to raluced staff cat4¢ity due to the time [dj lo g& the apprffltictship up and nnIng and supp(ting the apprenticas while in w)sL This meant that we ld to slightty limit our other activities. Now the apprenticeship schane is nmning sm(thly we hope to be able to off moT¢ education sessions in 2026. Having said that we maintajned all our kvy partsuships in 2025. including all Sl's from Breadalbane and Pit1hry High Schools spending a day with us planting trees, sessions run with the Junior Rangeys from Pitlochry High h(X)I and Rural Skills and GgraphY Pupils from Breadalbane and supsY)rting Breadalbane's Sl CA)mrnunity day. We also ran an evening with Aberfeldy Beavers and a session with pupils from GeoTge Watson's School in Edinbur8h. We also started a pilot project working with a group from Countyside Learning 19
HPCLT SC227934 2025 Scotland who are ptloting a ASN Rurnl Skills programme at Perth Gram[. W¢ look forward to working with these groups rnore in 2026. In late 2025 the Pitloclry JunioT Rangers wtte nominatoj f(x a LANTRAALBA award for their innovative work and dedication delivering the Junior Ranger Programme and have been shortlisted for an award. We will fmd out if they have succfUl at an award ceremony in Crieff in March. VolunteeTi118 Through our various volunteer activities in 2025 we with a total of 184 volunteers, with 67 attending our weekly volunteer days, 30 attmIln8 our monthly weekend volunteer days and 87 other volunte$ either attthdin8 one off volunteer days or helping out in other ways- either with public engagement events. at the thrift slK)p or with various monitoring and surveying projects. 4(P/o of these volunteers were rrturning. baving volunteeral with us in previo years and 6CP/o wwe fiT5t time Teixuits. In total we ran 64 volunteer events with our voluntews giving over 2shr$ to the proje£L As well as our regular volunteer days we also hosted a group of 20 staff from SEPA. and a group of s voluntews as rArt of the Heart of Scotland Forest Partnaship. Outside of these organised voluntsu days. we had various p&)ple gsve up their time to help us out this year: Wendy and John Mattin8ley continue to Monit our raptor popllations. biTd survrys were carried (1 by Ridjard PauL Ian Haq)u and Ant Watkins. Sweral ppIe also gave up their time to slwe thur knowledge leath'ng and helping on our guided walks and publi¢ engagement events over the summer. Volunleers cating a tree nursery nearihe new easy I7¥S$ trk buili in 2025
HEfLT SC227934 2025 Thrift shop We had the thrift shop on the week Etfore Christmas again in 2025. which w&8 & great way to end the year. We made £15(Ki during the week. and it was a great way to talk alx)ut what we do the wider community. We had 19 people help us to man the Shop. with 12 of them being regular volunteus or trte£S and 7 being HPCLT monbers. or IOLZI suppK¥rters of the trsL Huge thanks a due to all of everyone who has volunteereAI for in 2025. the value you have all added to the Work that we do is vw muth appre£iated. Poblic events: Our programme of public eVts was slightly sded iBck this yeaT due to stsifin8 dnand$ of the apprentiLx5hip progyamme. However. still ddiVff 9 wblic events in 2025: A moth trappin8 and Pearl Bordwa Frltillary habitat management d•y in rtnerShiP with Buttufiy CoThservation' two badgu viewing events. Richard Paul led a walk exploring the evolutionary adaptations of some of the wildlife and the hjll. Willie McGh• our forest manager, led a walk lookin¥ at the positive ¢1onges that have happen at Dim Coilli¢h over the years and what future habitats might look like. We unfortunately14d to our planned lichen walk but hope to be able to r&8cheJule this for 2026. We held two mmunity baTb4u4 with the mid-summff one being Combin with a bioblitz evenL These events were attended by 209 people and intrTrJuced 143 new pepIe to Dun Coillich and the work that we do. BIOLBLTrz Our BioBlitz and community tHrbue in June was attended by 50 ppIe. a mixture of mernbers, supporters and Icul experts who vY kindly shard their skills for the day. We had a great time leaming about dragon and damselflies and exploring the scrap&8. marvelling at moths. botanising around the huL recording birds 2nd learning about many of the Small less obvio8 species that call Dun Coillich home. In total we recorded 291 sp1&$ ffl the day induding 105 new rrdS for the site. This included- 42 bird species (induding a nuthatch which is a fst Tord). 52 flowering plant species. 8 species of dragon and damselflies, 24 sp145 of moth (6 new species). 64 spxi¢s of moss and livrnrL of which 17 were new site re(y)Tds. Finally. we record 83 species of Lichen. of which only 4 had previously beM recordrf with these rea)rds contributing to our site species list which now stands at 14(Kl. Specjal thanks are due to Oliver Moore and Caleb Wellock for all the new lithen and moss rec4y(Ls and to Anthony Marshall for inputting all the data the day gerated. Wee Birkj Field Aside from the regular Foth strimming at the Wee Birks and using it on a couple of (wsions for hosting groups from Breadalbane Aodemy. we have largely left the sit¢ to Its own devis&s this year. Feedback from lo(zl pw)ple that gularlY use the field is that they apprlate a bit of wildness in the rniddle of towo and while that won't please everyone. we are content for now to have a relatively light touth tn tern)s of management of the sile. The 21
HPCLT SC227934 2025 trees plantsd back in 2018 rinUe to grow well. with some of them nearly 20ft tsll and Iwve removed the tre¢ tubes. We will contsnue to have the old lime trees surveyed and ¢ompl&e any maintenanr£ of them as T0mmdl to minimise risk to those using the field. Financial Review and policy on reserves The trust received a total of £203.5(1 in income in 2025 up from £167. in 2024. Expenditure was £204.346 {2024.' £140.865) with a deficit of income over expenditure for the year of -£786 (2024.. surplus of U7.125). A total of £89.404 of restricted external grant income w&$ re£eived in 2025 for the Rural Skills training project whilst expenditure on the project vrds £109.595. the bulk of which was for staff salari&8 and costs 0¢lated with the ddivwy of tsainlng ¢oursLq After HPCLT'S Ul(KKJ tJibUtIOn to the proirt the Positive D&stinations project had funds of £20.672 (Xrrial into the final three months of year on¢ of the projecL Unrestrithd Inrne for 2025 was £113.916 (2024: £112.379). This indud&s £91.339 of InMe from SSE for th¢ Errochty planting projert RPtrI incorne from Keltneyburn Hydro was £13.351 (2024.. £17.129) with getmtion related rentsl income dow) in 2025 due to the unusually dry Spring and Surnmu weathu and a outsge at the plant tn September. Unrestricted grants and donats'orL5 were £1.968 (2024.. £2.878). ml1P subscriptions were £2.205 (2024.. £2.040X Trift Shop donatioThs were £1.422 (21Y24'. £].3) bank interest was q106 (2024: 4270). Unrestricted expenditure for 2025 was £94.751 (21y24.. £65.208). dIng the £22.OCM) ¢(trIbutiOn to the Positive Destinations proje(. Exnth'tUre incl1 £69.587 on the Errochty COMpsaI0ry Planting Proje£t Management and administration costs were £8.418 (2024.. .372). The higher Costs refie¢ted more hours for HPCLTS time financial controllerl administrator managing the Trust's higher workload. C&sh in the bank at aKI year Was £124.922 (2024. £125.708). UnT&stri¢ted funds at year end were £60.851 (2024: £62,567). Th]s ¢]u £43,399 which has been d&8ignated as a fo reserve fund to be to fund potents'al future liabilitias connled with forestry activities. Restrictol funds assoGffiated with the Posits've Destitmtsons ProJe( were £20,672 (2024.. £18.623). HPCLT land reserve is Valu on the balance sheet at cosl unchanged from 2024.
HPCLT SC227934 2025 Reserves Policy Regarding projects with restricted grant fundin& the w)li¢y for this FArt of i)ur activity is ihat sufficient funds must be held in unrastricted reserves to cover the (ts of the restrirted a¢tivity minus grant Dd$ re1va and pledgJ. HPCLT'S policy is to hold a minimum setve of six months staff costs to pfovide for any gap in fundin& arrently estimated at £30.0(N) whiGh 15 less than Unrestrict und1Snated fr of £60.851. The TTUSL therefore, Currently has sulTIGitht reswves to mt its L?)mmilrnts OV the next few years. For the Trust's unrestrideAJ activities. the policy is to hold sufficient reserves to mainlain its ¢haritabl¢ activities for 12 montlL5 in the event of an unfortseen shortfall in revenue or unl)udgeted expenditures. The TnLSt aSse5 the likelihood of reiziving rts diff¢ra)t in(7e streams (membership, donation. hydTO rental. wayleave tAyments) and ¢ompar&q this with the expenditure to maintain its Unrestri(% tharitsble aL#ivities. For 2026, the Tnjst is confident that unrestsicted income will be at least £210(X) which exceeds its committed unrtstricted expenditur A designatd for&sty reseThe fund h&8 been established to provide for potential future liabilities GOnnted with forestry a¢tiviti¢s utilisin8 surp18 funds from the Kinardochy Compensatory planting project Trustees will review the fund annually. The fortry r&8ervo has been set at £43.399 for 2026. Our Thanks We receive a huge amount of SUFI for our Vario a(iviÉies. Thanks are due (in no particular order) to: OUT mernbers, who see the value of what we are doing and wlN)se subscripts05 help to make everything possible. Our volunleers, who turn up in, out in all Weathe with w]failing gc humour and hard work and skill. Our Proi&t Officers and Forest Manager. who enable $0 much to get don& Our Board of Trustees who keq) eVYthing nJDning $mthIY behind the scenes. Our trainees. esp¢cTally our apprentices Jamie Lean and Tony Marshall. who worked so hard to get the most out of our traineeshi and the trwnus and pArtners who support than Our lo1 schools. who reCgniSe the value of oUtdX learning and the pupils who embrace it with such thlIsm. Everyone who joind in with any of our public events. lan Biw and Laurie Campbell for the use of their photographs on our website and in our vario$ Communications. And our furtd Who financial supp)rt is so cla1 to our work.
HIfLT SC227934 2025 Signed on behalf of the Tnee6 by. Ian Selmes. Chair 24
IittLT SC227934 2025 Inde•nt EmIner'S Rewt to the Members of Hlghland Perthshlre commun111 Land Trust: I report on the accounts of the a)rnpany for the year ended 31 December 2025. Ro8PeCtIvo ro8pM•lblllllos ol Tru8toM aNI Examlnor The charitsbSe companys Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Twst Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The Trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulatlon 10(l) does not apply. It is my restK)nsibility to examine the accounts as required under Section 44(1)(c) of the Act, and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Ba818 of Indepdent Examlnor's rnport My examination was carried out in accordan with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. An examinatson Includes a view of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also indudes consideration of any unusual Items or dlsclosures in the accounts. and sking explanations from the Trustees. cOnrnIng any such matters. The procedu undertaken do not provide all the eviden that would be requir8J in an audit and consequently I do not exp$$ an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. Indopondont Examlnor'8 Statemont In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:_ (l) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting rrdS in accordan with 5tIOn 44(1)(a) of the 2005 Art and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and to ppare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 8, have not been met. or, (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a r understanding of the accounts to be wched. Signed JMTAmb ndependent Examiner J M T Ambrose, MA, BSC. FCA, cfA(Fellow), FGS, FRSGS. 8 Cleveden Road, GLASGOW. G12 ONT 25
HtfLT SC227934 2025 ststement of Financial Activities (iDcluding Income and Expenditure Account) for the year ended 31 December 2025 Incomlng Resourtss {£) Unr•#rl¢ted R•strltted ProJ•ct Total 2025 Total 2024 Members. subscrlptlons 2.205 2,040 Grants and donatlons 240 3,038 Errochty Grant 91,339 91,339 Rural Sklll Training aFMI Outreach Grants 89.404 89.404 54,875 Perth & lanross councsi video grant 250 250 Hydrostheme rental 5,581 5,581 5,580 Hydroscheme generatlon 7.770 11,549 wayleave 1,142 Klnardochy Compensatory Hanting 84,011 Thrlft shop 1.422 1,422 1,909 Interest and bank compertsats'on 2.106 2,106 2,270 Scotland's Finest, SFWA 24 Prlze 1,000 Course fee5 576 Gift redaim (3 Yrs) 1,275 1,275 Resources Expended (£} Charltable expendltur•: Posltlve D•Stlnations - Rural Sklll Tr•lnlng and Volunteerlng Project Project Officer aftd Assstant 57,046 57,046 51,496 AppnticeS (Inc. travel, training a PPE) 33,128 33,128
HPCLT SC227934 2025 Delivering tralnlng courses (Inc travel PPE) 14h92 14,492 21,233 Errochty PrnJeL* {NOte 2) FO5t manager 4,400 Fendng 65,187 65,187 Errochty prOtt- total 69,587 69,587 Kinardochy ProJ•rt (Note 2) Trees purcha 469 469 9,954 Tree planttng 10,549 Beating UP 250 Fenong 1S,W4 FO51 manager Klnardothy ProJ•tt- total 1,119 1,119 39A93 Other Exp•ndltur• Fore# manager 2.810 2,810 2,825 staff trainlng I,oio I,oio Deer #alking and management 1,080 Plant survey 3.086 Professlonal fees 347 Website 2,595 2,595 6,091 Mainterkince 485 3,989 3,741 Insurance 3,813 3,813 2,296 Wee &'rks field 1,265 Slgns and leaflets I96 491 Subscrlptlons 452 452 275 Events 617 916 582 Offlce, stauonery etc 189 303 27
HKLT SC227934 2025 Heeces and PPE 529 Film 229 229 Drme survey Mlscdlaneous 343 310 653 GIS Mapplng 924 924 Total Charltabl• exp•ndltur• Manag•m•nt and admlnlstratlon (£) Legal fees 552 552 447 Adminl*ratlon 5,174 2,007 Dunkeld office rent 241 1.847 Fee collection costs 70 Bank charyes 133 52 185 Total Managem•nt Admlnlstratlon 6,100 318 8h18 Surplus/lD•flclt) of Income ove Expendlture 19,165 (19,951) (7M) 27.125 Transfer from Genoral funds t Project {22.000) Total R•$erv•$ at 31 Dernmb•r 2024 313.859 18.623 331482 305,357 Total Reserves at 31 December 2025
HPCLT SC227934 2025 Balance Sheet at 31 December 2025 31 1)ecember 2025 31 Dttember 2024 Fixed Assets (Nots 3) Dun Coilllch 205,205 205,205 Lower Blrks Fleld Total 206,774 206,774 Current Assets Savings Account 64,630 48,574 62,524 53,515 Buslness Account Projert Account Totsl cash at tkink 124.922 125,708 Less: Current Llabllltles Accounts payable Net Current Assets less Llabllltles 124.922 125,708 Total Assets 331696 Representlng: Land Purchase Reserve (Note 5) Unrestricted Funds (Note 5) Deslgnated Forestry Reserve (Notes 2&5) Project Fund - restrirted (Note 5) Accumulated Reserves 206,774 206,774 60,851 62.567 43,399 44,518 20,672 18,623 331696
HKLT SC227934 2025 For the year ended 31 Decwnber 2025, the company was entitled to exemption from audit under sertion 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. Directors, responsibilities: The members have not requested the company to ottsin an audit of Its accounts for the year to 31 Dember 2025 in accordan with section 476. The directors acknowledge their responsibilits'es for complying wlth the requirnents of the Act with respert to accounting records and the pparatIOn of accounts. These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions appltcable to companies subjert to the small o)mpanies' r8Jime. Signed Keith Myers Treasurer [date] Notes to the Accounts to 31 December 2025 l Accountlng Poltcles The financial statements have been prepared in accordan with the Finanoal Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), and with °Accountlng and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice" applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordano with the Flnanclal Reporting Stsndard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effertive l January 2015) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)). Assets and liablllties are Initlally recognlsed at hlstorlcal cost or ts3nsaction value. Income and expendlture has been accounted on a fully accrued basis. Llfe memberships are fully recognised as income in the year during which they are ceived. as the Trust has no finanaal obligations to Life members In future years. 2 Kinardochy and Errochty Compensatory Plantlng Projects In late 2023, the Trust enterejj a contratt with SSEN for the Kinardochy compensatory Planting project, which will replace trees removed during the construction of the Kinardochy Substation with 9.3 hectsres of new natlve woodland on Dun Coillich land. Under the 20 year agreement. HPCLT will receive £114.524, with the initial payment of £91,619 received in December 2023, and the balan of £22,905 to be paid in 2029 after an Inspection confirms the planb.ng has been properly established. 30
HLT SC227934 2025 Durlng 2024, the fencing was completed and the trees purchased and plantgj under the supervlsion of our forest manager. HPCLT must now ensure that the trees become established and grow. and ensure they are proted from dr and insured against fire. In 2025 the Trust entered into a 30 year agrment wlth SSEN for a biodiversity net gain planting project. The project is to ddiver the 10 % Bicmjiversity Net Gain required by SSEN as a resutt of habitst loss in connection with LT321 Errochty GSP. Planting includes 5.5ha of montsne willows, dwarf birch, juniper at 400 tr per ha, 2.5km of stod( fencing and bamboo canes placecl on fencing for black grouse marking. Under the agrrnent HPCLT was pald £91,339 in 2025 wlth a further £4,281 to be paid in year 5 of the project once the trees are established. Expenditure in 2025 on the Errochty project in 2025 was £69,587, primarily on a new fen, with tree planting sth&1UI for 2026. A designated Forestry Reserve Fund was established in 2024 to ensure that HPCLT has sufficient funds to meet its liabilities under its agrenents. The fund is reviewed each year and has tEen set at £43.399 for 2026. 3 Flxed assets Land at Dun Coillich and the Lower Birks Field is shown at cost. No deweciation is charged. 4 Trustee¥ Remuneratlon None of the Trustees has rKeNed any remuneration or reimbursement of expenses from the Trust. No f* was paid to the company's Endependent Examiner. 5 Funds During the year, the Trust continued its Project for training young people In practical rural skills, to equip them for the Jobs market. Additional funds were raised which have b&n treated as Restrirted Reserves, available to be used only for the purpose for which they were donated. The Trust also transferred £22,000 of its general funds to the Projett account. The income and expenditure on the Training Project is therefo shown separately on the fa of the Ststement of Financial Affairs, and at the year end. a balance of £20,672 (2024 - £18,623) was held in the Project Fund. The balance on the Unrestricted General Fund was £104,250 (2024 - £107,085). A proportion of the Unrestrirted General Fund has been set aside as a designated Forestry Resenie to ensure the Trust has sufficient funds to meet potential future liabilities. The Forestry Reserrfe was set at £44.518 in 2024 and has bn set at £43.399 for 2026. The Trustees deslgnated £205,205 of its original Incoming funds, equal to the cost of Dun Coillich. as the Land Purchase R&er4e. with the balance as a General Fund for such purposes of the Trust as may be ra]uired. In 2015, the 31
HKLT SC227934 2025 Trust was offered the opportunity to acquire. on very favourable terms, a small field in Aberfeldy, and the costs of acquiring the field, £1,569, were added to the designated Land Purchase Reserve. The company's Unrestrirtaj and Restricte(J Reserves are thus made up as shown: Balan at 31 ,: Surplus I Dec 2024 (Deficrt) 2025 Transfers Balan 31 D 2025 Unrestricted Land Resenie 206.774 206,774 Unrestricted General Fund 62.567 20.284 (22,000) 60,851 Deslgnated Forestry Resen 44,518 (1.119) 43.399 Restricted Project Fund 18,623 (19.951) 22.000 20,672 Totsl 332,482 (786) 331,696 32