Directors Report

Director’s Report

This 33rd annual report covers one of the most unusual years in the history of the Ballast Trust. As an organisation set up to provide practical hands-on processing of collections it has been frustrating to spend so much of the year removed from that aspect of our work. However, during this time we have strengthened our connections to the wider sector through our work with the Business Archives Council of Scotland and the Scottish Council on Archives along with our participation in other networks.

In a year of so much uncertainty one of our key achievements has been to secure additional funding for the Business Archives Surveying Officer role. We have been delighted to build on our partnership with the National Records of Scotland having worked on their collections since our establishment in 1988. In late 2020 following approaches by the Trustees to the National Records of Scotland we received confirmation that they would provide a one off funding package of £25,000 to help support the costs of the post. This financial support has allowed us to plan for a contract extension to the role that will take it to June 2023 and secured the short-term future of the Surveying Officer role.

Additionally, our Surveying Officer, Chris Cassells prepared an excellent application which we submitted to The National Archives Covid-19 fund to run a Scotland-wide ‘State of the Nation’ survey of business records held privately. This will be delivered as a 10 month project titled Fieldwork: Mapping Scotland’s Business Archives that started in March 2020. Chris is also to be congratulated on the varied consultancy work he has delivered during lockdown. While the anticipated increase in insolvencies and associated records at risk work did not materialise, Chris has been busy with research and consultancy work for The Macallan and King’s Theatre.

One of the challenges as Director this year has been how to maintain the important community we have created at the Ballast Trust for our staff and volunteers. I have continued to be impressed with how flexible staff have been in adapting to work from home and blended working arrangements throughout the year. I am grateful to our band of regular volunteers for showing up each week on our zoom calls and continuing to give their time to the Ballast Trust and our collections remotely and for brief periods in person again.

We end our reporting year with all regular volunteers and some staff vaccinated. With new projects and funding for the Surveying Officer post and with the promise of an easing of restrictions to allow us to get back to our core collections work. On reflection, there is much to be grateful for and we look forward to celebrating our lockdown successes when we can gather again at Walkinshaw Street.

Kiara King Director

Addendum

It is now 18 months since I stepped down as Director of the Ballast Trust, and Kiara King was invited to take on that responsibility by the Trustees. We could not have imagined the changes in circumstances which she has had to navigate through the impact of COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdowns. She is to be congratulated in how expertly she has managed this set of challenges which she outlines so clearly in her report as Director.

Other planned changes have yet to be resolved, namely the transition to the new Chair of Trustees, and the need to appoint at least one new Trustee. Dr Chrystie has generously continued in the Chair throughout these changes, providing continuity in the troubled months since March 2020. This has enabled me to have the time to provide some support to Kiara as the incoming Director. Dr Chrystie and the Director have my grateful thanks for their support during these difficult months. It is my hope that the imminent reinstatement of Trustees meetings will enable the work of the Ballast Trust to proceed more easily in the years ahead.

Anthony Slaven Sometime Director