Chief Executive - Amanda McFarlane

 
Welcome to Fife Coast and Countryside Trust website. 

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the work carried out by our team of dedicated professionals, as well as giving you an insight into why I believe Fife's countryside is second to none. 

I have lived in Fife all of my life and was educated at Bell Baxter High School , Cupar.  On leaving school I joined the Scottish Executive and spent 13 years in various roles before securing the position of the Head of Further Education Funding for Europe and International Unit with the Association of Scottish Colleges.

I have always been passionate about Fifes countryside and its rural communities and didn’t hesitate when offered the post of Trust Manager for Fife Coast and Countryside Trust in 2002. 

Since its formation,  I have guided the Trusts operations from managing and promoting certain countryside sites such as the Fife Coastal Path and the Lomond Hills, with 4 staff, to delivering countryside services (70 sites) on behalf of Fife Council with 39 employees. 

Our Achievements so far.

• Three major EU funded projects delivered by the Trust are the North Sea Trail which links over 3,000Kms of footpath in seven countries bordering the North Sea, completed in 2007. Destilink, a network of sixteen countries which examines best practice in sustainable tourism destination development throughout Europe and completed in 2008 and presently the delivery of SUSCOD.  This project focusses on improving the long term management of high-value areas at risk around the North Sea. 
   
• The Trust has also led three major access feasibility studies. The first examined a potential northern extension of the Fife Coastal Path from the Tay Bridge to Perth working in partnership with Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust and Scottish Enterprise Tayside. The second study explored the creation of a ‘Pilgrims Route' from St Andrews to North Queensferry and most recently the Lomond Hills Visitor Survey.

• FCCT also played a key role in the £1 million redevelopment and design of the Harbourmaster's House in Dysart. This building now includes Fife's first Coastal Centre, along with a shop, a community use room with state of the art IT and broadband internet access as well as a 32 seater Bistro and the Trust's HQ.

• 2009 saw a major milestone in the development of the Trust with Fife Council signing a 5 year service level agreement to deliver countryside services on their behalf.