Balerno Village Trust

How We Started

BVCDF was formed from the existing Balerno Community Council as a pro-active body of local residents and workers who could campaign on local issues. The early focus was on conservation and resulted in the successful listing of key village buildings, preventing their development as housing and preserving the traditional village look at the heart of the area. The group also went on to start a successful monthly farmers market (established in 2005) and an annual Music Festival in partnership with the local church and folk club (started in 2008. The group changed to become the Balerno Village Trust in June 2009 to attract more local people to sub groups taking an active interest in promoting a sustainable community.

What We Do

We held our first community consultation in June 2009 and from that we have established 3 key sub-groups that can be formed in Energy, Food and Community Cohesion/Potential. Our next meetings will work on agenda planning and accessing funding to match those projects. We run all our meeting using participatory appraisal. We hope to take over the running and managing of the monthly Farmers Market for the community's benefit both financially and in terms of local food provision. We hope to work in partnership with other local organisations to create a vibrant Balerno with good family-friendly food outlets, cafe and local resources.