A busy October for the Trust.

The clocks have changed, a busy October has come and gone for the Trust, and we are gearing up for the dark months ahead with every intention of maintaining momentum through the Cabrach winter. 

October combined many highlights as projects and activity progressed on multiple fronts.

On the distillery, all effort has been focused on progressing the masonry package which readies our 19th century steadings for their new life as The Cabrach Distillery CIC. In further support of this transformational project, the Trust secured Just Transition Funding from The Scottish Government in October which provided an important capital boost. We were delighted to host Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray & Minister for Just Transition, Fair Work & Employment, to see progress made in person during a recent site visit. Further, we continue to work closely with the team at Forsyths Ltd as we map principal building works and all distillery fit out activity earmarked for the year ahead. 

Wider Trust activity has not slowed down.

Any opportunity that brings together our community will always be cause for celebration. Our hybrid AGM took place in a full Acorn Centre, with Trust members, friends, and supporters meeting in person (mostly) for the first time in several years, although we were delighted to welcome attendees from further afield via VC. The Trust then hosted our first Cabrach Shindig at Glenfiddich Distillery with international bestselling author Ken Follett CBE performing with his rock band ClogIron. A raucous night was enjoyed by all, and the Trust is incredibly grateful for the support and generosity provided by the Glenfiddich team and ClogIron, in addition to the special auction lots gifted by The Macallan and Johnstons of Elgin. 

The Trust’s first ever Cabrach Makers Market weekend also brought to a close (almost) our inaugural rural skills, traditional crafts, and wellbeing programme which has been a runaway success this year. On a similar theme, our Cabrach Tweed initiative reached a very important milestone as our community project team visited Johnstons of Elgin to review our emergent tweed design and colour palette – watch this space…

Yes, a busy October is now behind us. November? Let’s keep going…