About The Andrew Raven Trust

The Andrew Raven Trust is a Scottish charity working with people locally, nationally and globally to explore the challenges presented to rural communities by climate change and the desire for a more sustainable future. The Trust also assists communities to explore their own responses to these issues.

The Andrew Raven Trust delivers these aims by enabling and supporting the exchange of knowledge and understanding on a range of related topics between leading thinkers, and practitioners from science, the arts and the humanities. The Trust is committed to bringing together diverse voices in order to achieve as wide a perspective as possible.

The Trust also recognises and aims to support the role of heritage, arts and culture in shaping all communities.

The Andrew Raven Trust was formally approved as a Scottish charity by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) in May 2008. The original name of The Andrew Raven Memorial Trust was changed to The Andrew Raven Trust in 2009. Further details about the Trust may be found on the OSCR website here.

The Andrew Raven Trust Trustees are committed to an Ethical Investment Policy. The Investment Policy is reviewed annually at the AGM.

An introduction by Amanda Raven

 

Our Activities

Prior to 2020 the work of the Trust focused on the delivery of an annual weekend, at Ardtornish House each June. Each weekend event explored a specific theme in relation to sustainable rural development with a group of 30 to 40 invited, peer group recommended rural policy makers, community leaders, rural commentators, specialist scientists and artists. More information about Ardtornish Estate can be found here.

In 2021 the Trust invited two early career professionals to work with us to develop a virtual event. This was held over two days in June 2021 and you can view the content and output of the Community Energy Weekend 2021 here including a 360-degree tour of Ardtornish House. We are grateful to the support of the James Hutton Institute in assisting the Trust with the technical content and delivery of the 2021 virtual weekend event. 

Full reports from all past weekend events can be found in the Our Activities section of this website. 

Future Plans

The Andrew Raven Trust is keen to work in partnership with those who live and work in rural Scotland. The Trust is also keen to support study and research into the challenges faced by rural communities. In 2022 the Trust signed a 3-year Memorandum of Understanding with the James Hutton Institute which recognises the mutual benefit to be gained from working in partnership and collaboration. You can find out more about the work of the James Hutton Institute here

The Trust is now looking towards the tercentenary of the birth of the Edinburgh-born geologist James Hutton (1726 - 1797) in 2026, as a focus for our activities and events.

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