STAY
EAT & DRINK
SHOPS & SERVICES
SEE & DO
PROJECT OFFICERS
The GBA is delighted to be working with two Project Officers from September 2024:
Jane Candlish is managing the GBA’s destination marketing activity and events.
Annie Masters is managing membership, including member offers.
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The GBA thanks the Berryburn Community Fund for funding this activity.
Representing the interests of local businesses
The Grantown Business Association (GBA) is a sub-committee of the Grantown Initiative, the local community development company. It represents the interests of the local business community.
Aims
- Act as an advocate for the business community with representation at appropriate events / meetings.
- Promote the local area for the benefit of businesses.
- Identify priorities for business members, form a plan and act on it.
- Keep businesses up to date via newsletters and social media.
- Create opportunities to help member businesses collaborate with each other.
- Manage the business directory and visitor facing content on www.grantownline.com.
- Hold meetings of business representatives if/when appropriate.
- Develop effective partnerships with other community groups and organisations for the benefit of businesses.
- Set up and maintain a membership scheme for the GBA to include business members from the PH26 3 postcode area and ‘associate members’ from other areas if they fall outwith any other Business Association’s remit.
- Gather, represent and feedback the views of the business community to the Grantown Initiative board.
What We’ve Achieved
- Held various events to give businesses the opportunity to network and make connections.
- Promoted Grantown as a destination by:
- publishing engaging social media content via @discovergrantown.
- advertising in the Landmark Press ‘Welcome To’ bedroom folder which is seen by every visitor staying in the Cairngorms National Park.
- updating the business directory and visitor facing content on www.grantownline.com
- Kept businesses informed of latest news and support the ‘Grantown Business’ Facebook page and emails.
- Created opportunities for local businesses to collaborate with each other.
- Held Grantown Does Christmas over the first weekend in December for four years from 2020 to 2023.
- Supported the town’s creatives to stage their own event, Grantown Open Studios, in May 2025.
- Supported many businesses during the pandemic and as they continue to recover.
- Represented members at meetings with the Cairngorms National Park Authority, the Cairngorms Business Partnership, Highland Council and business support organisations.
- Responded to consultations on the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s Economic Action Plan, Highland Council’s Proposed Parking Charges and the Scottish Government’s Short Term Let Regulations.
- Re-opened the Burnfield Toilets with the Grantown Initiative, which was one of the top priorities for business when we undertook a survey in 2019.
Join the GBA
Join the GBA for only £30 per year. By joining you are supporting a small group of volunteers who are working hard to create a thriving economy.
To join, complete this FORM.
Contact Details
Email: grantownbusiness@gmail.com.
Committee Members
Karen Martin – Chair
Rebecca Mackellar – Finance Manager
Annie Masters
Declan Gallacher
Jodie Sandiford
Joanna Wilson