Amanda Coulthard has worked in public service for her entire life, overseeing NHS services, the police and working with community councils, so it is no surprise that she has ended up chairing Bridge of Allan’s Community Council.
What is surprising is how quickly she has achieved the position given that she has lived in the village for less than five years.
Amanda used to live in the east end of Glasgow, like many other people during the pandemic, she was struck with a desire for a more rural slice of life.
The village’s mix of nature and uncharacteristically, lively high street made Bridge of Allan a natural choice.
It was after only a year of living here that she joined the community council and quickly rose to the position of chair after only being in the council for 18 months.
The Community Council is a touch point between local residents and formal organisations like the Stirling Council and Discover Bridge of Allan.
Since Amanda took over the position of chair, the Community Council has undertaken several projects, but the new Community Action Plan is the one she is most proud of.
The new plan has replaced an existing, albeit entirely outdated, action plan that had been “left on the shelf for years.”
The new plan was developed alongside Discover Bridge of Allan, a community development trust, and involved months of surveying residents about “what really matters to them.”
She described the project as “A year of really hard work, been really challenging as we don’t always agree on things and we’ve really involved the local residents… but we’ve got a really great product.”
Amanda’s other biggest project has been chairing the Sunnylaw Action Group to raise funds and create a bid to save the Sunnylaw Meadows land and keep it within the community rather than it being sold off privately.
The project proved to Amanda how much residents cared as so many of them were willing to “put their hands in their pockets to protect the village for the future population.”
When asked about her favourite things about the village she stated that “The top of my list is the balance between our really vibrant high street we’ve got but still having the woods at your backdoor.
“Having the best of both worlds, I think that’s what draws a lot of people to live here.
“Once people are here, they never really want to leave. We are officially a town but it’s still got that tight-knit village feel.”
Amanda clearly cares deeply about her community and loves her position on the community council.
She ended our interview by saying “The thing that makes me spend all of my spare time doing this is that the residents really care. Donating money, getting involved and coming along to events, our residents give loads of themselves to the community which makes being involved in stuff like this worthwhile, and we couldn’t do anything without them. It’s an amazing place to live”
Featured Image Credit: Discover Bridge of Allan
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