The Cabrach Trust

About Us

The Cabrach Trust was formed in 2013 and is a registered charity (Charity No. SCO43771). It was set up in response to the need to preserve the cultural heritage of The Cabrach and safeguard its remote community. In 2013, through its generous donors, the Trust acquired the historic Inverharroch Farm and its 170 acres of land and through community asset transfer acquired the Old School and Hall and the Acorn Community Centre. The Trust has developed a community-led regeneration project that will see the development of projects such as a Historic Distillery and a new Heritage Centre on the Trust’s land.

The Trusts aims to provide economic and social development opportunities for the Cabrach, creating jobs and attracting new visitors to the area to celebrate and protect the cultural heritage, beautiful landscape and history of the Cabrach.

The Trust is steered by a committed Board of Trustees working alongside a dedicated and knowledgeable staff team.

The Cabrach Trust

Vision & Mission

Our Vision

Our vision is to regenerate the Cabrach as a thriving, sustainable community with its history, heritage and place in Scottish history celebrated and shared by all.

Our Mission

Our Mission is to inspire, educate and engage visitors and revitalise the Cabrach community with a sense of place, pride and belonging.

Grant Gordon

Chair and Founder

Grant is a philanthropist and social entrepreneur. He is the founder and Chairman of the Childhood Trust, Chairman of the Reekimlane Foundation and a trustee of other charities. He has experience in the distilling industry having worked in his family business, William Grant & Sons. He has lived part-time in the Cabrach since he was a child and founded the Cabrach Trust in 2011.

Bob Yuill

Trustee

Bob is Deputy Chief Executive SAOS Ltd, a development organisation specialising in agricultural co-operative and collaborative strategies, structures and management. Bob is a highly experienced project manager with skills and knowledge in financial management, data protection, contracts and collaborative working and sits on the Trust’s finance committee. He lives on the northern edge of the Cabrach.

Michelle Myron

Trustee

Michelle’s early career was with Scottish Enterprise before becoming a consultant in the private sector. This was followed by a period of overseas work with International Paper based in Belgium. Michelle has returned to her home town of Dufftown where she set up Speyside Tours which specialises in distillery tours. Michelle is currently studying for the IBD’s Diploma in distilling.

Vivienne McIntosh

Trustee

Vivienne McIntosh originally hails from the Cabrach but left when married in 2001 to set up home in Glass. However, coming from a family who have lived and worked in the Cabrach across multiple generations, Vivienne knows what a special place the Cabrach is and maintains many strong connections across the area. Vivienne is married to Peter and has a son Liam who is 17. She teaches Highland Dancing and runs her own dance school in Braemar, alongside a further dance school in Dufftown and Aberlour which she runs with her mum. In addition, Vivienne runs her own house cleaning business

Virginia Irvine-Fortescue

Trustee

Ginny lives on the edge of the Cabrach between Rhynie and Lumsden and is proud to have been one of the community members that built the WW1 Memorial Cairn. As a Laity member of Synod, she represents the Diocese of Aberdeen & Orkney at the General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church.

A Medical Herbalist (MNIMH), she continues her role in healthcare as public representative for NHS Grampian, and the health faculties of Aberdeen University and Robert Gordon University, and presents a weekly radio request show from Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for the patients, families and NHS staff across the Grampian region.

Sam Dowdall

Development Manager

Sam joined the Trust in March 2020. She has a background in visitor, retail & heritage management and digital marketing. She has managed a historic country park, garden centres and shopping centres for national management agencies. Sam loves the outdoors, particularly Speyside and is a keen trail runner.

Jonathan Christie

Chief Executive

Jonathan joined The Cabrach Trust in April 2021 to deliver the Trust’s strategy and support our small team to ensure we are making a difference for The Cabrach community. As former Deputy UK Director at The Wood Foundation where he served for ten years, Jonathan has a wealth of experience in Third Sector leadership, project management and grant making. Prior to which his career focused on working alongside vulnerable groups and communities across Scotland. For Jonathan, The Cabrach Trust is a place where good ideas can develop, grow and take flight.

Craig Buchan

Head of Finance

Originally from Peterhead, Craig left the North East in 1999 to pursue a career as a Chartered Management Accountant. Craig has been qualified for 20 years, gaining valuable experience in diverse industries from food manufacturing to pharmaceuticals to financial services. Notably, Craig spent 5 years working as Operations Finance Manager for William Grant & Sons based in Dufftown; a role extending beyond finance to include product assurance and brand ambassadorial duties.

Craig’s thirst to be more than “just finance” never abated which made the opportunity to join The Cabrach Trust team and support the start-up success of The Cabrach Distillery CIC, so exciting. A rare opportunity to combine financial management experience and a passion for Malt Whisky with a unique community regeneration project.

Lynne Staples-Scott

Trustee

Lynne has a background in corporate social responsibility and external affairs as well a wealth of experience in charitable and not for profit governance. Having lived in Moray and West Aberdeenshire for nearly 35 years, Lynne knows how special and unique the Cabrach is in terms of cultural heritage, landscape, and environment. The Cabrach occupies a unique place within Scotland’s history and the vision of the Trust to work with the community to sensitively regenerate the area is a vision very close to Lynne’s heart. Lynne joins the Trust at a pivotal time, excited to work alongside a small but talented and enthusiastic team of Trustees and staff.

Grant Moir

Trustee

Grant joined the Cairngorms National Park Authority as Chief Executive in March 2013. He is a graduate of Aberdeen University and worked with the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority for seven years where he held the post of Director of Conservation and Visitor Experience. Grant has a passion for upland management issues, rural regeneration and how people and nature can thrive together. Grant lives in Grantown on Spey and in his spare time is a keen walker and cyclist.