Date: Wednesday, 3rd December 2025
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: North Berwick Community Centre
1. Attendance
Present:
Kevin Gibson, Kathy Duncan, Lisa McLure, Brett Walker, Lauren Cowie, Kirsty Towler, Nick McCashin
Apologies:
Kenny Miller,
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2. New Board Member
Nick McCashin officially nominated and boarded as a Director.
Jamie Govan and Steve Jones both interested in the Company. Unable to join this meeting but will be invited to the January meeting.
3. Minutes from previous meeting (29th October 2025)
Proposed Kevin Gibson, seconded Kirsty Towler
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4. Matters Arising
Secretary handover – need to look at the amount of signatories, bank payment system, we only have one card reader.
ACTION : Kevin contacting Sue to clarify.
Access to documents – when documents are shared from n the Drive allow them to be editable for those who have the link.
Purpose strategy feedback – Questionnaires, to review how these can be shared and when / where this is appropriate to do eg. May be better placed on the skool site.
WC Project – Unsuccessful application to Changing Places.
Do we want to acquire the land at the station which we believe is owned by the Fire Service. – for future discussion.
ACTION : Revisit what the project wants to achieve, eg. Changing places facilities being a later phase.
Network Rail letter of support – awaiting to find out who actually owns the land, then inform them of unsuccessful application and planned next steps.
ACTION – Brett to follow this up. Likely to be Fire Scotland – awaiting their solicitors for confirmation.
Website development – Nick and Lauren meeting to upload content to the site 4.12.25. Skool being used to actively ‘join the conversation’
Directors discussed ensuring accessibility for all / removing barriers to receiving information. Eg. options that include Skool, email only membership etc for those who have no desire to engage with Skool.
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4. Allocation of Directors to strategy streams
ACTION – Kevin please share the presentation link here.
7 strategic themes
Each theme will have a working sub group – each group will require a Director taking a lead / present at strategic group meetings.
Funding & finance – Kevin
Community engagement – Nick
Governance – Lauren & Kathy
Portfolio acquisitions – Kirsty and Kenny (Kenny TBC)
Skills & resources – Lisa
Project Delivery – Kathy & Nick
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5. North Berwick Community Centre Committee
- How do they want to proceed
NBCCC have not had a meeting so we are unsure of what their wishes or plans are. We are aware that they have some draft architect drawings which also incorporate opportunities to generate income. Eg. community space and commercial space.
ACTION – Lisa to invite the committee to a meeting in the new year, terms of engagement would be useful so that how we move forward is completely clear and transparent and all parties agree.
NBCDC do not vision working with NBCCC, but to invite them to join working groups to carry forward an asset transfer.
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6. Placemaking Project
For review in the new year. No new information.
Can we contact the contacts that were collected through Placemaking Project focus groups
ACTION – Kevin to contact Tom Reid.
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7. Generating Income / Social Engagement / community consultation strategy- Nick
ACTION – Nick’s Presentation HERE
No current stable income, relying on grants and generating other income will support the sustainability of the NBCDC. Lack of funding is stalling moving forward quickly.
Highlighting that people don’t necessarily know about, or have a passion for the CDC. How do we re-brand the CDC to encourage interest and intrigue in the community?
Involving the community in decision making about which assets to save
Using assets to offset other assets, e.g. Hope Rooms generate income to support another asset.
Skool platform – central communication point, multiple admins, sharing information, email distribution etc.
Tiered membership – NB community card – gets discounts on local businesses/services – this can generate income. Nick has already sounded out local businesses who are interested.
Eg. £5 pm x 500 members £30,000 per annum
family memberships £10 pm – £52,000 per annum
Marketing ideas to encourage memberships. Eg events, giveaways etc.
The Directors agreed to go ahead with the membership scheme by way of raising income.
North Berwick Gift Card – Nick has spoken to them to explain that they would be very different initiatives.
Explore diverse income streams – Nick gave examples.
When do we launch the membership, and skool, and when do we launch the website?
Directors to make decisions on timescales for website, branding, membership launch
WEBSITE – By the end of the year
BRANDING – Need to decide what name we want to be operating under, ‘NB Together’
MEMBERSHIP – To be launched before the end of the year
EXISTING MEMBERSHIP EMAIL – explaining upcoming changes
ACTION – Lisa to draft and Lauren to circulate to the existing members.
EAST LOTHIAN COURIER – Nick doing an article to share with EL Courier
SOCIAL MEDIA – Jen Rutherford – This is NB page. We could take over the page?
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8. Code of Conduct / Collegiate responsibilities – Lisa
Covering the roles of directors and the responsibilities that becoming a director requires from individuals. All Directors are clear and understand that their declarations bind them to these requirements
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9. Governance and adopting policies
- Ethical Fundraising policy
- GDPR
- Code of Governance
- Code of Governance – signed declarations
- Board member – signed declarations
- Conflict of Interest policy
- Board responsibilities – Board Role descriptions – the board agreed that the Code of Governance is comprehensive enough to not require these separately.
- NBCDC Purpose – done
- Mission statement ACTION – Kevin to share working doc with the Directors
- NBCDC Vision ACTION – Kevin to share working doc with the Directors
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AOCB
Directors to read the information re the Paths that Brett has shared with the Directors.
Payments, we need to open a Stripe Account / manage payments / income – Kevin & Nick to meet and discuss.
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DONM
Wednesday 7th January 26, 7pm, NBCC GP Room
Wednesday 4th Feb, 7pm, NBCC GP Room
Wednesday 4th March, 7pm, NBCC GP Room