Carron Valley & District Community
Valley Renewables Group (VRG) is the Development Trust of the Carron Valley and District Area, a rural region nestled south west of Stirling in the central belt of Scotland. We are a community owned and managed organisation, a registered Charity and a member of the Development Trust Association of Scotland. We are proud to support residents of the Carron Valley and District Area.
VRG was created in 2008 to maximise the Community Benefit arising from wind farm developments in the region and ensure money received is spent wisely on behalf of the whole community, for now and for the future.
We are actively working to become a more sustainable, self-sufficient and connected community. VRG support this through the development of community projects, actively engaging in partnerships of benefit to the area, providing a range of grant opportunities for residents and long term financial management of community benefit funding for future generations. All our activities aim to further our vision and objectives.
‘For everyone in our community to experience an improving quality of rural living. For this to be delivered through community-wide and individual projects, supported by community benefit income, and distributed through a fair and transparent process’
VRG has four Strategic Objectives directly related to the identified challenges and opportunities for our community. VRG activities adhere to these four Objectives:
VRG is a Development Trust. We support the local community in a number of ways.
All of our work is informed by our three year Strategy, designed to deliver our Vision and Objectives and led by the needs, priorities and interest of the residents of the Carron Valley & District area.
Please note that VRG neither supports nor opposes any new wind farms within the area, that is a matter for the Carron Valley & District Community Council and individual residents. Our remit is purely to ensure that if new wind farms are given approval, we maximise the benefit to our community.
You can find out more about VRG, along with details of our finances, current and previous Strategy documents in the links below.
VRG is managed by a team of dedicated volunteer Directors, all residents of the area. Our Directors volunteer their time to support their community through VRGs activities. Directors attend monthly Board meetings and sit on a range of subgroups tasked with action in specific areas including: Governance & Compliance; Grants; Investment; Project Development; Communications and Annual Open Day.
Margaret is passionate about Scotland’s outdoors, including the Carron Valley area and its Community. Having been a school and university teacher, an international fencer, a professional walking guide, and a business owner, she has a wealth of varied experience to offer. As the new Chair of the VRG, she has the best interests of the Community at heart and is the current driving force behind the Community Defibrillator project.
Rob became a VRG Director in 2012 and has been Treasurer from 2014. He is retired from private practice as a town planner and landscape architect. His professional interest remains in ecology, habitat conservation and sustainability. He has lived in Sauchieburn for almost 40 years, and enjoys working with, and for, the community.
Christine became a VRG Director in 2020. She is a clinical psychologist by trade and has lived in the Carron Valley District since 1989. She lives on the far flung north eastern boundary of the VRG area. As well as a strong interest in all matters natural she has always been involved in mental health, particularly with very young children and is an advocate for the value of time in green space and a sense of connectedness for mental health.
Dugald moved to Carron Valley over 34 years ago and previously served as a Member Director for VRG for approx. 14 years. He runs his own business in Building and Property maintenance. He is a community-orientated individual, always happy to assist at VRG community events.
Brian is relatively new to the Valley but not the area.
He has a keen interest in Wildlife and nature conservancy and outdoor pursuits. He is also a keen motorcyclist and a former business owner and managing director.
Peter moved to the area in 2003 and enjoys the walks and wildlife in the Carron Valley. Although recently retired following a career in the motor industry and retail, he continues to remain active with several Glasgow charities helping with education and fundraising. On our local wood days he can be found buzzing around the roads making log deliveries.
Josie Deans resides in the Carron Valley and brings 12 years of healthcare experience alongside extensive work in children’s advocacy and community initiatives. She has sat on the Children’s Panel for Scotland for several years, advocating for children’s rights, and has initiated and led numerous fundraising projects, including founding Glasgow’s Super Seniors, where she ran supportive wellbeing classes for isolated seniors during COVID. Now in her final year at university studying Integrated Healthcare, Josie combines her education with a passion for human rights, the arts, and community wellbeing, dedicated to preserving the beauty and vitality of the Carron Valley.
David moved to the area in 2023 and became a VRG Director in 2025. He is a former Chartered Surveyor with more than 30 years experience in the commercial property business and has been running his own Property Consultancy business since 2016. In his spare time David enjoys golfing, cycling and walking.
We also have a member of staff who supports VRG’s activities on a freelance basis:
Helen Bang has been VRG’s administration assistant since 2014, handling grant applications and mailings. She also takes minutes for the Community Council, so is well informed on local issues, Helen lives just outside the district and enjoys visiting the whenever she gets the chance. In December 2024 Helen took on the duties of Company Secretary.
We are grateful to the following partners and funders who support the work of VRG:
Defibrillators