Dùthchas Arainn CBS

04/05/2026

We are looking forward to this talk tomorrow at Arran Heritage Museum, 1.30pm in the garden room. Come along if you'd like to find out more or have any questions about our proposal to establish new woodland crofts in Glencloy.

Tuesday Talk May 5th
Simon Ross-Gill talking about the Dùthchas Arainn in Glenrickard.
1:30pm in the museum garden room
Tickets available on the day. Limited numbers available.

Dùthchas Arainn is a Community Benefit Society established to hold land and assets in community ownership for the benefit of Arran's people. We're working to create a sustainable future for our island through woodland crofting, natural conservation, and cultural heritage preservation.

01/05/2026

Beltane greetings to all our followers ☀️🌳

Our share offer closes tonight at midnight. We are currently at 80 members.

If you have been thinking about joining, there is still time - duthchas.scot

27/04/2026

Why should you become a member of Dùthchas Arainn CBS?

Here is some feedback from a member who joined recently:

“When we visited Arran we didn’t want to leave, that was 3 years ago. I love the archeological history that is so abundant and underrated for its significance.

The project appealed to me because it brings humans back to the land, it will bring back connection that’s been lost by many. It will bring back biodiversity, a reconnection to seasons and sustainable food production and a move away from industrial agriculture and its chemicals.

Environmentally and climatically it will have a positive impact.

I think the project will entice younger people to move here and reduce the aging population of which I belong.

Ps I didn’t know the temperate rainforest was a thing until I moved here.”
- Sue, member

Share offer closes Beltane, 1st May.
duthchas.scot

15/04/2026

At the weekend, members of Dùthchas Arainn CBS went for a walk into Glencloy - exploring corners of the wood that have become all but forgotten, and reconnecting our community to a place that needs people.

The whole idea is that includes people. Community ownership, woodland crofting, families living and working in the glen responsible for stewardship of the woods in order to protect, regenerate and diversify this land. 

Join 59 members in making this a reality and become a co-owner of these important woods. Share offer closes 1st May (Beltane). Link in bio.

11/04/2026

Glencloy, near Brodick, contains some of the most significant and least understood archaeology in Arran: Neolithic chambered cairns, prehistoric rock art, and a fort associated with Robert the Bruce and the Black Douglas are among the historic features to be found.

In 1975, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland wrote to warn that significant features in the glen were about to be buried under Sitka spruce plantation. The letter was ignored.

As part of the feasibility study, we’re working toward a disciplined community-led survey of the glen with and other partners to understand what survives beneath the trees before any felling takes place.

Share offer closes 1st May. Become a member today and support the feasibility study. Link in bio.

The Art at the Edge exhibition is held at .countryinn - which is also owned by a CBS!

03/04/2026

We are into April - less than one month to go until our share offer deadline - Beltane, 1st May 2026 🏡

Membership of Dùthchas Arainn is about co-ownership of land, or any other asset held by the Community Benefit Society. You’re putting your name to something that will still be here long after we’re all gone.

It’s what this model was designed for - Permanent Community Ownership.

As a member, you help determine the future of this land and the model of long term tenure for crofters and their families. Any member can run for the board and vote at the AGM. And you don’t need to come to every meeting - you can vote from your armchair or your garden.

Find out more or join today:

https://duthchas.scot (link in bio)

Let us know if you’ve got any questions in the comments below 👇 🌳

14/01/2026

UPDATE 🏡 We’ve extended our share offer to 1st May 2026 (Beltane) to give more people time to be part of establishing Arran’s first woodland crofting community.

This Rainbow over Glencloy yesterday felt like a good sign 🌈 800 shares sold so far from 11 members since we launched this share offer - thank you to everyone who’s invested towards making this happen.

The offer remains open through winter and spring. Shares start at £50, or you can become a member for £10.

We are now up to 48 members total. High membership numbers strengthen our Community Asset Transfer case, and also gives a more robust model of community land ownership, so do pass the word on to anyone you think might be interested:

Find out more: duthchas.scot

All the best for 2026 and Bliadhna Mhath Ùr

28/12/2025

Just 3 days until our share offer deadline!

We’ve sold 700 shares so far through this offer (2,500 total). Every share purchased before the end of the year shows the strength of backing for community land ownership and helps establish Arran’s first woodland crofting community in Glencloy.

We will be extending the offer into 2026 - but reaching our target before December 31st still matters. Every new member demonstrates real community demand for woodland crofting and strengthens our Community Asset Transfer application.

If you’ve been considering investing - now is the time to do so!

Minimum investment: £50 (50 shares at £1 each)
Or become a member: £10
Find out more: duthchas.scot

08/12/2025

More photos from our members’ walk last weekend. We explored the proposed woodland crofting site in Glen Cloy. The diversity is already here - native woodland, varied fungi showing healthy soil, water sources throughout, Sitka plantation and access via the forestry track.

This is what the feasibility study will help us understand - how to work with what’s already here, enhance it, and create 8-12 viable woodland crofts where people can actually live and work.

There’s so much potential in a wooded landscape like this.
Find out more: duthchas.scot

08/12/2025

Where is Glenrickard?

The proposed woodland crofting site is in Glen Cloy near Brodick, within the Glenrickard land management area of . This FLS woodland offers the perfect opportunity to pilot community-led woodland crofting.

We’re working toward Community Asset Transfer to establish 8-12 woodland crofts here - combining sustainable forestry, small-scale agriculture, and affordable housing.

Find out more: duthchas.scot