ELAINE MACASKILL

Director & Chairperson

Elaine lives in Inverkirkaig and has been involved for many years in establishing woodland projects locally, through her role as Woodland Trust Scotland’s landscape partnership manager for Assynt.

MARIANNE HUTCHISON

Director

Marianne grew up in Assynt before attending Edinburgh University and Moray House College. She has taught in many primary schools in the Highlands, mostly in the North West, and lives with her family in Lochinver and works at Lochinver Primary School. Marianne loves several outdoor pursuits and has recently enjoyed developing her teaching skills by training in the delivery of Outdoor Education. Marianne has been a director of ADT (and its predecessor ACA) since 2012.

CATRIONA MACLEAN

Director

Catriona lives in Lochinver and works at Ullapool High School as a gaelic teacher.  She is actively involved in Lochinver Primary School and its parent council, including having managed the project to install outdoor play/education equipment at the Primary School.  She joined ADT board of directors in October 2023.

LANA BRACEWELL

Director

Lana lives in Drumbeg and joined the team as a director in 2025.

KARI KNIGHT

Director

NIGEL GOLDIE

Director

Nigel Goldie has been very involved in a number of community organisations for some years, such as the Assynt Foundation, the Assynt Development Trust (and its predecessor the Assynt Community Association) and Historic Assynt. He has always sought to improve collaboration between the varied community organisations and groups in Assynt. Nigel has much relevant expertise relevant to the issue faced by Assynt Development Trust which is complemented by subsequently working in a senior management role in local government with a wide range of corporate responsibilities, including that of funding community and voluntary organisations.

ADAM PELLANT

Development Officer

EWEN MCLACHLAN

Development Officer

Assynt Development Trust currently employs two half-time Development Officers, Adam Pellant and Ewen McLachlan. The two development officers have been employed by the Trust from May 2018 through funding from the Scottish Government’s Strengthening Communities Fund, then by the Investing in Communities Fund, and through the 2024/25 financial year by Highland Council’s Community Regeneration Fund, matchfunded by Highlands & Islands Enterprise / Scottish Governement’s Supporting Communities Programme.   We had to self-fund the post through much of the 2025/26 year but now have funding secured from the Scottish Government through Highlands & Islands to cover the remainder of the year from August 2025 to Mrch 2026.

In past years they have developed and delivered many significant projects for the Assynt community including Assynt Motorhome Waste Facilities Project and Assynt eBike Project both at Assynt Leisure Centre, running the Discover Assynt tourism marketing organisation, consultations including local democracy, climate action, Assynt Housing Needs Analysis and Lochinver Local Options Appraisal, Community Asset Transfer of the Mission from Highland Council, the purchase of the Assynt Glebe Land in Lochinver from the Church of Scotland with funding from the Scottish Land Fund, ongoing design work to create affordable housing on the glebe land, covid relief and general poverty relief, including establishment of Assynt Food Larder, situated at Assynt Leisure Centre, acting as anchor organisation for the North West 2045 partnership covering the wider region from Coigach to Bettyhill, including the Regional Land Use Partnership over the same area.