The Board of Trustees is made up of between seven and fifteen volunteers. Trustees can either be members, or co-opted to the organisation. They can be co-opted at any time of year, but are officially elected as Trustees at the Annual General Meeting. The current LCDT Board is detailed below.
Carole Racionzer (Chair)
Carole moved to Linlithgow in 2003 to raise her family. With a background in social policy, human resources and training, event management and administration she has continued a lifelong commitment to volunteering with various organisations including Homestart, Eczema Outreach Scotland, Burgh Beautiful, Refugee Action Scotland and Transition Linlithgow. Carole has been an allotment grower for many years with a love of fresh, organic and home cooked food. She particularly enjoys enabling individuals and organisations to thrive and succeed and combines this with her passion for the importance of environmental issues.
Fraser Falconer
Now retired from a 40 year full-time career in the public and voluntary sector. Following my graduation from Moray House, I worked in youth and community work in the Highlands, then a period with OXFAM both as a fundraiser and a member of staff in India and Bangladesh. This was then followed by leading a community enterprise in Glasgow before joining the BBC in 1990 as Head of the Children In Need Appeal in Scotland. Amongst a number of current voluntary commitments, I am on the Boards of Youthlink and Scottish Spina Bifida Association and Chair the Scottish Government’s Play Strategy Group.
Matthew Ball
I moved to Linlithgow in 2004 with my wife Kirsty and son Alex, who was 2 at the time. We felt it was the perfect place to put down roots, and new it was right for us as soon as we got off the train to have a look around. There is so much going on, with a local community who like to contribute to the town’s development.
I’m a keen cyclist and am a founding member of West Lothian Clarion Cycling Club, I helped set up the youth section in 2010 after training as a coach. The Clarion has been a great way to meet new friends and get out on my bike in the local lanes and trails. I’m passionate about giving people (young and old) the opportunity to ride a bike and experience the freedom it can bring. It was through the bike club that I got involved with the Trust and became a board member in 2014.
My main focus is to help deliver The West Lothian Cycle Circuit. It’s a proposed 1km traffic-free tarmac cycle circuit at Xcite Linlithgow and will be a facility for the whole community. It will help people of all ages and abilities improve their physical and mental health.
I really enjoy being part of Linlithgow Community Development Trust and working with my fellow board members. It’s such a well run organisation, and I’ve learned a great deal from my volunteer colleagues while on the board.”
James Campbell
A resident of Linlithgow since 2005, James is a recent addition to the LCDT board in 2022. James is Senior information technology professional with experience of providing technology solutions and advice in different industries and public and private sector organisations. For the last eight years, he has been focussed on public sector technology service within central government, devolved government, local government and defence sectors in the UK.
James is married with two children both of whom attend Linlithgow schools.
Neil Barnes
Neil brings his experience from working at 2 small charitable community trusts in Glasgow and Fauldhouse, and a career spanning almost 3 decades in teaching, environmental management, energy, renewable energy, affordable warmth, public health, community planning and regeneration.
Neil joined as a voluntary trustee in 2017 having followed the CDT’s journey from a fledgeling charity. In his spare time, Neil also volunteers for Transition Linlithgow and Burgh Beautiful. Since 2010, after Neil and his family moved to the town, he’s been giving free energy advice, leading litter picks, developing ideas and local projects.
Growing up with a passion for the environment, wildlife and tackling social injustice, Neil is very keen to help the trust develop new social enterprise initiatives – including ‘Linlith-Go-Solar‘ – a new, innovative approach to renewable energy and community development. Neil is also very keen to involve young people following on from his years as a teacher, and latterly in his current job as Communities Manager for Warmworks Scotland where he is supporting several employment and training related activities for Year of Young People Scotland 2018.
Tom Conn
Tom is one of the original members of the Linlithgow Community Development Trust. He was employed as a Valuation Surveyor with Lothian Regional Assessors/Lothian Valuation Joint Board for 41 years, retiring in 2017. Elected to West Lothian Council in 2007 and is Executive Councillor for Environment and Sustainability. He is on a number Policy Development and Scrutiny Panels within the Council. Trustee of the Linlithgow Museum, Linlithgow Day Care Centre, the Low Port Centre and others. Following the elections in May 2022 he was appointed as Convenor of the Lothian Valuation Joint Board and recently became Chair of West Lothian Integration Joint Board
Susan Smith
Susan grew up in Bo’ness and returned to live in Linlithgow with her daughter in 2021. Keen to connect with the local community and hugely impressed by the work of LCDT, she joined the board in 2022. She is currently head of communications for one of Scotland’s largest charities, and having worked in the Scottish voluntary sector for nearly two decades has a lot of knowledge and experience in the running of charities. She is a single parent so doesn’t have lots of free time, but spends weekends enjoying the wonderful facilities on offer in Linlithgow and the surrounding area with her family.
Mike Ewart
Biography and photo coming soon