Directors’ Update – August 2026

Since our last update in December 2025, Directors have been busy with the day-to-day running of the Trust. There has been a lot of activity which we’ve summarised below and some important initiatives progressing for your awareness.

Some of the highlights include: 

  • Supporting Bishopton Football Club’s early discussions with Renfrewshire Council regarding a Community Asset Transfer of the top park pitch and associated pavilion on the Thistle playing field behind the Co-op.
  • Allocating a dedicated area at Holmpark to Bishopton’s Social Cricket Club who are using and maintaining the area on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons;
  • Supporting Bishopton Week 2026 celebrations with access to Holmpark for the Gala Day and associated events.
  • Providing the use of Holmpark for a female Hyrox event organised by Bishopton Ladies Rugby Club and open to the wider community.
  • Presenting to Bishopton’s Chit Chat Group on the work of the Trust.
  • Submitting the Trusts Annual Accounts for 2024-2025 to Companies House and verifying the identity of all Directors.
  • Updating all Charitable registration requirements with OSCR to ensure all information about the Trust, its purpose, Directors and finances are publicly available.
  • Introducing a Code of Conduct and Register of Interests for all Trust Directors.
  • Fielding a range of contacts and proposals from individuals and companies who would be keen to develop facilities on Holmpark (details all recorded in published minutes).

Local Place Plan – Have your say!

Work to develop a Local Place Plan for Bishopton is underway. This is an important community-led document that sets out local proposals for the development and use of land and buildings in our village.

Bishopton Community Council and the Dargavel Residents Association are working together to make sure local residents have a strong voice in shaping the plan – and we want to encourage Trust members and the wider community to get involved.

What would you like to see in Bishopton? What works well? What needs to improve? Are there places that could be better used, facilities that are missing, or changes you would like to see in the years ahead? Now is your opportunity to tell us.

An easy-to-use interactive map has been developed where you can drop a pin on a specific location and leave your ideas, suggestions or concerns. You can comment on somewhere you love, identify something that needs attention, or suggest an opportunity for improvement. The interactive map is here: https://bishopton-lpp-map.lovable.app/

Every contribution helps build a clearer picture of what matters to the people who live here. The more residents who take part, the stronger the community voice behind the Local Place Plan.

The Trust will use the feedback gathered, alongside the finalised Local Place Plan, to help guide our efforts to support the continued development and improvement of Bishopton in the years ahead.

Please take a few minutes to get involved – and encourage your neighbours, friends and family to have their say too. This is your village. Help shape its future.

Holmpark Feasibility Study

We have provided a number of updates now on our efforts to progress a lease agreement with Bishopton Rugby Club to formalise their use of Holmpark. In December we explained that work on the Lease Agreement had been paused while we explore an independent feasibility report to assess the market value and leasing options for the site. This feasibility work would then ensure any future lease is both robust and evidence-based.

We are pleased to confirm that this work is now concluded and we have published the report in full on our website for transparency.

The report sets out clearly that there are significant limitations with the use of Holmpark in its current condition. The report lays bare the current status of the pitch, the likely rental achievable, and the investment required to get it to a viable standard for commercial lease. The reality is, that without significant investment, the Trust cannot rely on rental income from the site in its current condition. Nor is the £400k investment required to get the site to a consistent useable standard a viable option at present. Directors have therefore concluded that the report provides Directors with the independent information needed to allow the Trust to move forward with discussions on the Lease Agreement with the Rugby Club.

Bishopton Rugby Club currently maintains the majority of the Holmpark site with regular grass cutting and ground treatment, at the Club’s cost. In the last year, this has amounted to more than £10k in cash investment.

In return, the Trust allows the Rugby Club to train and play at Holmpark without additional charge (weather and drainage permitting). All regular maintenance activity on the site by the Rugby Club is being reported to the Trust so that this is captured to help quantify the Rugby Club’s contribution.

The Rugby Club also took the time recently to provide a presentation to the Trust about the Clubs vision, operating mode, community value, and aspiration to support the continued sustainable growth of rugby in our community. The presentation is available on the Trusts website for the wider community to review.

The development of a Lease Agreement with the Rugby Club will be supported by qualified property agents and reported publicly for transparency once finalised. Directors want to assure all Trust members that we are seeking to secure a fair and equitable arrangement that reflects the value and costs associated with maintaining the site while also reflecting the limitations on its current use and the significant contribution of the Rugby Club in maintaining it. The Rugby Club has a long and proud history on Holmpark and both the Trust and Rugby Club are keen to maintain this tradition with an agreement that offers permanency to the club going forward.

We will provide further updates as work to finalise the Lease Agreement proceeds.

Directors & Meetings

Your current Board of Directors are:

  • Jim Blair (Chair)
  • Pamela Henderson (Treasurer)
  • Lynne Hutchinson
  • Andy Jackson
  • Derek McGowan
  • Mike Tait
  • Mike Tomenson
  • David Woodrow

Director Graham Adam resigned on 17 March due to work commitments and no longer living in the community. The Directors want to thank Graeme Adam for his commitment and contribution to the Trust as a founding member. He has been an active and supportive member of the Trust and Bishopton community and we wish him well for the future.

Directors were pleased to welcome back and appoint Andy Jackson as a Director on 17 March. Until recently, Andy has been the President of Bishopton Rugby Club and a former member of the Trusts Board so he is familiar with our efforts.

Directors were also delighted to appoint Pamela Henderson as a Director on 17 March and appoint her as Treasurer. Members will be aware that we have been searching for a suitably qualified treasurer for some time now and we are very grateful to Pamela for offering her support in this role and for her time and commitment to the Trust.

Directors continue to meet monthly, and minutes for these meeting detailing our considerations are all published on the Trust website. Minutes from meetings held since December can be found here:

Seeking an Independent Examiner

Following the appointment of a Treasurer, we are now appealing to our membership and the wider community for a qualified accountant to act as our Independent Examiner for our annual accounts.

Every year we pay around £1,300 for an independent examination of our accounts. As a local  charity, we’d love to direct more of the money we have towards our core purpose of the development and benefit of Bishopton. We’re therefore appealing for someone who may be willing to provide this service:

  • As part of an employer’s Corporate Volunteering or Employee Volunteering programme
  • On a pro bono basis
  • Or for a reduced fee.

The individual or company needs to be a suitably qualified and independent accountant with experience appropriate to carrying out an independent examination of charity accounts.

Read our previous annual accounts (incorporating previous assessments of our Independent Examinations) via Companies House here: View our filing history and annual accounts

Interested?  Contact us for an informal chat at BishoptonDevelopmentTrust@gmail.com

Use of Holmpark

Over the summer months, we noticed significantly more people using Holmpark in the nice weather. We would like to remind everyone that any groups or organisations wishing to use Holmpark must obtain permission from the Trust in advance. This includes commercial fitness classes. As the landowner, the Trust must ensure that proper insurance and risk controls are in place. You can find out more about the requirements and how to request permission from the Trust website.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Our last Annual General Meeting was held in April 2025 and we are expecting to hold the next AGM in the coming months. The AGM is an important meeting where general members of the Trust consider our accounts, elect Directors to run the Trust and have an opportunity to discuss and question Directors on their activities over the year.

The meeting must be attended by a minimum of 30 General Members to meet the quorum required by the Trust’s Constitution. We would be very grateful if Members could make every effort to attend the AGM when it is scheduled. A formal notice will be sent out once a date had been finalised.

One Lottery

Bishopton Community Development Trust is registered with One Lottery, an online fundraising lottery for charities and community groups across the UK.

For just £1 per week, you could win a £25,000 weekly jackpot—while 50p of each £1 goes directly to the Trust. Funds raised help us cover site maintenance costs, and with enough support, could also contribute to improving local facilities.

If you’d like to take part, please visit our One Lottery fundraiser page. Good luck!

Join the Trust

Local residents are warmly invited to join Bishopton Community Development Trust. To become a Member:

  1. Download and complete the membership form from our website.
  2. Email the completed form to BishoptonDevelopmentTrust@gmail.com.

If you are unsure whether you are already a Member, or haven’t received recent communications, please email us and we will check your status.

Please note that subscribing to our mailing list does not make you a Member—you must complete and return the registration form.

You can also view the Trust’s Constitution on our website.

Thank you for your continued support.


The Directors’

Bishopton Community Development Trust