Boost as trust given status as charity

Tomintoul and Glenlivet Development Trust has been given a major lift in its efforts to provide locals with IT equipment during lockdown.

The trust works to provide opportunities for employment, enterprise and cultural regeneration.

And the Office of Scottish Charity Registers has now confirmed it is a registered charity after months of hard work.

This means that the organisation can apply for grants and maximise any income generated through its economic and trading activity.

The trust’s chairman Doug Nisbet welcomed the “great” news.

Oliver Giles, development manager for TGDT added that some of the cash it had received through the Scottish Government Supporting Communities Grant will be used to purchase IT equipment.

Mr Giles said: “The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the digital divide in our community.

“Households with access to good broadband and IT equipment are able to cope better with lockdown than households where IT equipment is shared and there is limited internet access.

“Household IT and broadband is supporting homeworking, keeping in touch with family and friends, home schooling and accessing services such as healthcare.

“Thanks to a Scottish Government grant we are able to provide this equipment on loan to the most vulnerable in our community.”

The trust will be handing out small cash awards to community groups to help them adapt to a “new normal”.

For more information visit www.tgdt.org.uk