Why we do it

Community First

We are a small organisation. All involved are invested in our town and rural catchment. We are passionate about Cupar and the sustainable success of our area. 

To fulfill our role of contributing to the area’s community development, citizenship, arts and culture, we work in partnership with many other organisations and stakeholders operating at a local, regional and national level. 

All that we do is based on that collaborative approach: without the engagement and support of our community – and multiple stakeholders – we would not be able to achieve our goals. 

Community Wealth Building

We live in a rapidly changing world: resources are scarce and communities have to become more resilient and self-supporting. Grants from the public and and 3rd sectors are diminishing. We have to stand on our own feet. 

There is a perception that Cupar and our catchment are welathy. True, we are blessed with a wealth of natural beauty, hard-working businesses and a community sector that is the envy of many. The CuparNow Community Directory lists more than 90 organisations that support our town and country – one for every 100 people in our town. 

As unearthed by our Community Action Plan and Local Place Plan, there is striking evidence of poverty.

  • VERY HIGH child/family poverty

  • Cupar Central in <20% SIMD for poverty

  • Higher levels of personal debt

Our area suffers from poor access to local jobs and services:

  • Low job density – have to travel further for work

  • 6,070 people living in most deprived 10% SIMD for access to services – access to vital services such as banks, education, shops, GP surgeries, recreation etc

  • Poor public transport times and connectivity

  • Poor access to local education, made worse by SRUC developments

  • 2,370 people in the most deprived 20-30% SIMD for education

It is down to us – all of us – to do all we can to make a positive change. 

That is our Trust’s focus. That is why we are involved. 

More than a decade of progress ...

The Trust has always worked using evidence-based outputs from a variety of projects and initiative-driven reports. Use the links below to click and read more on our journey.