Newstead Village Community Trust (NVCT) is a Company Limited by Guarantee (SC684078) and is a Registered Charity (SC052042) 

Registered Office: The Bridge Community Resource Centre, 11 Exchange St, Jedburgh, TD8 6BH

NVCT was formed in 2021 when a group of Newstead residents got together to support one another during the Pandemic.

NVCT aims:

- Enhance the quality of life for those living in and visiting Newstead

- Nurture a connected, thriving, and resilient community

- Preserve and raise awareness of Newstead’s unique heritage and history

- Safeguard Newstead’s natural environment, wildlife and promote sustainable     development

- Advance community development and citizenship

- Develop a shared community vision delivered in partnership with our members and other stakeholders

- Improve recreational facilities and activities

- Ensure Newstead is an all-inclusive, equitable and welcoming village

- Raise, invest, and distribute funds to benefit the greatest number of residents

- Facilitate the acquisition and management of community land for the benefit of the village.

The aim of the Trust is to improve the quality of life for those living in the village, preserve its unique heritage and safeguard its natural environment. The organisation works in partnership with its members and other stakeholders to deliver a shared vision through a sustainable, inclusive, and equitable approach. 

Our Directors

Chair: Mark Lovatt. Mark is a headteacher and is passionate about education. Having retired he has been persuaded back into the classroom but continues to enjoy his volunteer role with NVCT.

Secretary: Andrew Kelly. Andrew moved to Newstead in 2017. He enjoys village life and making new friends. He works as an optometrist in Galashiels. This is his first role with a local community organisation. He is enjoying the challenges and lessons it brings. Andrew enjoys DIY, cycling and running in his spare time.

Treasurer: Jane Nyberg. Jane has a background in Social Work and has recently retired. Before moving to Newstead she was involved in launching a Residents Association in Gateshead, helping to develop a local Community Centre and hosting group activities.  Jane and Mark have been renovating their home in the village for the last five years.

Membership Secretary: Lucy Morton. Lucy grew up in St Boswells, before going on to study Medicine at the University of St Andrews and then Aberdeen. After spending some time working in Edinburgh and Fife, moved back to the Borders for her GP training. Lucy now works as a GP and enjoys walking, wild swimming and tending to her chickens. 

Director: Jonathan Morton. Jonathan grew up in Melrose. He studied Chemistry and Physics at the University of St Andrews before taking a PhD in Physics at Heriot Watt University. After this he spent four years as a research scientist and now works as a high school Physics teacher. He enjoys taking the dog for a run up the hill. 

Director: Jane Rae. Jane is a freelance editor and writer with an interest in textile heritage. She feels very fortunate to be able to work from home in such a beautiful part of the world. She’s passionate about sharing the rich heritage of Newstead and the Scottish Borders with the local community and with visitors to the area. 

Associate Director: David MacGowan.  David MacGowan is 75 years old and has lived in Newstead for about 3 years. He divides his time between a cottage near Amble, on the Northumbrian coast, and Newstead. He has worked in the motor industry, as a production control manager in the Midlands with GKN, Eaton Corporation, and British Leyland. He qualified as a teacher in 1980 and has since worked as a Physics and Science teacher in Shropshire and the Newcastle-upon-Tyne area. He was briefly the Project Manager for the rebuild of a village in Northumberland. His interests are walking (usually with a Labrador), playing golf, the Cinema, writing articles for the Newstead News, wildlife, photography, and watching live cricket at Yorkshire.