Life in Crathes and Banchory and Leys Estate are deeply intertwined.  The Leys Estate Group strives to provide the facilities and opportunities that help build a thriving community.

Throughout the year we make land available to host a diverse range of activities and events in the area from festivals, to sporting events, club gatherings and the circus.

The Milton Events Field at Milton of Crathes is also a key community facility, providing a versatile location for events big and small from horse shows, to flyball competitions and the Caravan Club.

In addition, we support the community by making land available for housing, fuelling the continued growth of Banchory. We have also played a key role in the development of Banchory Sports Village through the provision of land for the facilities at no charge.

We also lease land at nominal rates to a whole host of community enterprises such as Deeside Rugby Club, Banchory St Ternan Football Club, Milton Art Gallery, Deeside Dance Studio and The Barn.

We are passionate about supporting local events, clubs, third sector organisations and individuals whether it is a promising local athlete, annual event or fundraising campaign.

However, our support doesn’t end there.

We are committed to actively engaging in two-way dialogue, opening channels of communication to allow for constructive discussion and feedback.

Through our Community Engagement Strategy we will ensure we:

• Understand our community
• Make it easy for our community to participate
• Invest in openness, transparency and trust
• Learn from our activities
• Commit to impact and action
• Be consistent and thoughtful in our actions.

Both our Communications Strategy and Education Strategy will work in tandem with our Community Engagement Strategy, ensuring consistency in messaging across our target audiences.

Engaging in effective consultation and communication will always play a vital part in the Leys Estate Group Forward Strategy.

As we deliver our Strategy, we will stay true to our core values and our commitment to engaging and working with the local community to break through the barriers of assumed knowledge; educate stakeholders about the Estate’s positive impact on the local community and the commitment the Leys Estate Group and Burnett family have to the Crathes and Banchory area.

We are committed to becoming strategic partners with local Schools, Community Groups and Sports Clubs within the Banchory, Crathes and Torphins areas.

Leys Estate Group is committed to contributing to the learning process in Schools and Community Groups by:

• Working with teachers/representatives to bring the curriculum to life, enrichment and enhancement of the delivery of education and enabling awareness and understanding of the world of work.
• Involving employees in the mentoring and supervision of work placements or visiting schools, contributing to staff development.
• Engaging young people from a range of backgrounds who may not have considered a job in a particular sector before.
• Providing quality work experience opportunities; bringing problem solving, team working and interpersonal skills to life.
• Providing careers information and opportunities to raise the profile of careers across the sectors and specialisms in which our teams operate.

By working in partnership, the roles and responsibilities of each party are clearly outlined, and a planned cycle or timetable of activity would be agreed. This enables both Leys Estate Group and the School/Organisation to build in the time and resource to ensure that all activity adds value for the student, the business and the School/Organisation.