Our History

The North Berwick Trust was established in 1974 by the Provost, Magistrates and Councillors of the Royal Burgh of North Berwick for the benefit of the residents of the burgh and their dependents. The North Berwick Trust is a Registered Scottish Charity (SCO00135: registered on 1st May 1975) and is now a Limited Company.

The Trust was formed in 1974 when North Berwick Town Council was taken over under reorganisation of local government. North Berwick became part of Lothian Regional Council. Later the region was further divided into East, West and Midlothian.

During the 1950s, North Berwick Council gradually bought the land at Mains Farm in order to build council housing. The first houses to be built were on Lochbridge road, followed by Glenburn Road. Further roads were named after Provosts, Gilbert, Wishart, Cooper, McNair and Fowler.

The Trust was formed to manage and safe-guard the remaining 103 acres of land and hold for the benefit of the people of North Berwick within its Charitable Purpose. 

In 2015 some of the land was sold for development, which has resulted in the Trust substantially increasing its income and activities. The Trust’s financial assets are currently around £16 million. 50 acres of land remain in Trust ownership. The Trust is now a significant local grant-giving organisation and disburses funds for the benefit of the community in line with the conditions stated in the Trust Deed.

The Trust’s Strategic Framework sets out its strategy for benefiting the community, both by proactively leading and managing projects itself and by awarding grants. The overall Strategic Framework is applicable to all of the Trust’s activities and can be viewed on the Vision page.