From a first steering-committee meeting in February 2018 to a working 400-square-metre community shed at Cultybraggan Camp — here's how we got here, in roughly the order it happened.
The steering committee was set up to get the shed started. By the end of the month, the committee was established and twenty members had joined. The first job was to decide a direction, agree a name, find premises and pick the core leadership.
After many long discussions and cups of tea, Cultybraggan Camp was picked. The Comrie Development Trust offered Hut 65 — the old NAAFI building — and lease negotiations got underway.
The hut hadn't been touched in over ten years. The priority list was long: roof repairs, replacing the bathrooms, scraping, insulation, heating and a fresh coat of paint everywhere.
We started receiving machinery donations — and quickly discovered the shed entrance wasn't big enough to get any of it through. A little remodelling later, we were back to fitting out.
We held a BBQ with all our members and their families. A truly enjoyable and relaxing day — and a reminder of why we were doing all of this.
An anonymous donor contributed £5,000 in exchange for custom displays — a hugely welcome boost to the build fund.
Work pressed on across the entrance, the windows and the meeting room, with volunteer hours from members including Graham and Bobby.
We were awarded a £3,000 community grant — half for machinery, half for IT equipment. Real momentum, real tools.