Emily moved to Thurso in 2016 seeking a great adventure and never looked back. The environment is what brought her to Thurso, but it's the place, people and sense of opportunity that keep her here; her day job experience is in environmental policy and sustainability, and there is no sustainability without community.

In her experience so far, working in the Trust has been lots of things, but certainly never boring! She got involved with the work of the Trust in 2023, and really enjoyed being involved in the community consultation and development of the Strategy. She is inspired by the commitment and drive that the staff and volunteers bring, and is excited for what comes next as we begin working to our new strategy.

Emily took the position of Chairperson in May 2025,following the stepping-down of our long-standing Chairperson, Helen Allan.

Bryan Dods has a background in engineering and training and has spent the last 2 years supporting community endeavours throughout Caithness with Caithness Voluntary Group.

He has lived in the Thurso area for more than 30 years, coaches youth rugby and keeps bees as a hobby.

Born and brought up in Thurso, Pete now divides his time between the town and Glasgow where he works as a part-time lecturer teaching post-graduate journalism students. 

He brings journalistic, communication and project management skills to the Community Trust after a career with the BBC. 

He joined the board in 2024 because he wanted to do more to help with the great work the Trust is doing in the town.   He’s also chairperson of the Caithness Broch Project.

Alexander moved to Thurso as a child in 1992, and has been a Board member since 2023.  He is a long-standing community advocate who networks extensively with different support and partner agencies as well as he third and voluntary sectors across Caithness and the Far North.

He has a keen interest in improving green-health and blue-health such as helping make Thurso bloomin' marvellous through the flowers group, Thurso In Colour Inbhir Theorsa Dathach which he helped start.  As well as already bringing 10 thousand crocuses to Thurso, he would like to see Thurso River become a riparian river, that liminal zone between water and land.

Scott joined the board in November 2020, shortly after the first wave of COVID-19. As a business owner in the hospitality sector, he found himself with the time and motivation to become more actively involved in the community.

What immediately stood out to him was TCDT’s rapid and adaptive response to an ever-changing situation. The way the team quickly mobilised and began making a tangible impact in the community was truly inspiring.

Since then, Scott has had the privilege of witnessing the organisation deliver real outcomes, even while navigating the ongoing challenges left in the wake of the pandemic. Now, as the Trust enters its next five-year plan, he is proud to be part of a dedicated and determined team, committed to delivering on the priorities identified through public consultation.

Sarah has lived in Caithness for 22 years and has always been an active member of the community.

She has a background in health and education and worked as a lecturer with UHI for 11 years. She now works as a Humanist Celebrant, conducting weddings and funerals around the County.

She has recently joined the Board after being introduced to their work through being involved as a volunteer. She feels proud to live in such a beautiful place, and wants to do her bit to ensure that our wonderful community flourishes and survives in these challenging times.

Tim moved to the area in 2015 to work at Dounreay as an engineer, not knowing anyone in the area he was keen to get involved in volunteering. He did this through the community garden and sharing shed projects. He then joined the board in 2022, as after volunteering, he saw the board as a natural next step to support the Trust.

As a local project manager, Tim brings both practical experience and a community focus. What first drew him to the Trust was the variety of work it undertakes and the way it evolved over the years to embrace new projects like the greenhouses.

When he’s not volunteering you will find him walking his dog Toby, getting involved in sports and supporting our local cinema!

Iain has dabbled in various local groups and heritage organisations over the years—mostly to avoid doing any 'real' work. When not pretending to be a pillar of the community, he can be found indulging in his true passions: lounging with the cat, eating sweets, and binge-watching TV like it’s his job. Someday he hopes to finish a complete song on guitar. 

 Somehow, he still manages to show up to meetings (usually).

Jane was born and raised in Thurso and worked in further and higher education for 25 years.  During this tenure, she was awarded Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.

In April 2024, Jane started working as Chief Officer with Caithness Citizens Advice Bureau, leading the development of new and innovative support and services available to the community.  Jane is passionate about the work of Caithness CAB and is committed to delivering further successes through service enhancements.

Experienced in strategic management, business planning, leadership, and community partnership, Jane is passionate about supporting third-sector growth.  She feels privileged to contribute to board discussion and decision-making for Thurso Community Development Trust and looks forward to helping shape the future service delivery model. 

Laura grew up in Caithness and recently returned to Thurso after spending several years living and working in Shetland and Perthshire.

With an academic background in economics, she brings analytical and project-focused experience to her role.

Laura currently works in the construction industry, specialising in fire protection projects. She joined the board of the Trust in May 2025 and hopes to use her skills to support its strategic development, particularly in areas such as infrastructure planning, economic evaluation, and community engagement.

Aaron is a local Thurso lad who doesn't see himself living anywhere else. With him having many opinions on many topics to do with the county, he was convinced by several of his peers on the board to get involved and help deliver the new strategy.

Aaron joined the Trust in June 2025, he is excited to be part of TCDT and hopes his skills in compliance, quality management, risk and planning can be of use to the board in delivering its objectives and help contribute to its future successes."