About us
The Braeport Centre
The Braeport Centre has 3 light and spacious rooms, a large carpark and a relaxing sensory garden. The centre is run by the Dunblane Development Trust, on behalf of the community.
Our history
Dunblane is one of the oldest settlements in Scotland and the Braeport Centre stood on the site of the gate to the city.
The Braeport Centre started life in the 1880s as Dunblane Public School, whose three classrooms held up to 90 pupils. The school was closed in the 1960s, when a large modern school was built on the other western side of town, Dunblane Primary School.
In 1993, the building became a community centre run by Stirling Council. In 2017 the building was taken into community ownership and run by the Dunblane Development Trust.
Dunblane Development Trust
The building is owned by the Dunblane community and managed by the Dunblane Development Trust (DDT), a membership-based community company with charitable status.
Since the council agreed the transfer in 2017, the DDT have overseen a major upgrade of the building. New windows, doors, insulation and energy efficiency measures have been installed thanks to a £93k grant from Climate Challenge Fund.
The building was officially transferred to the community in 2019 and is now run by the Braeport Management Group, a sub group who are responsible for the day to day running of the Braeport Centre.
How we are funded
Climate Challenge Funding has paid for ceiling insulation, double glazing, new doors, LED lighting, new heating controls, thermally lined curtains and improvements to pedestrian access including a bicycle rack.
Other grants have paid for non-slip flooring for all communal areas and improvements to the car park and frontage.
The addition of a canopy across the back of the building has helped aid access between rooms and provided a covered area for buggies. It is hoped to replace this canopy with a permanent building extension to allow for facilities to be upgraded.