History of Pilton Retreat
Pilton Retreat started as a run-down scout hut. It was spotted by the late Victor Lindsay in 1970, who was on his rounds with the Water Board when he discovered the unused, semi-derelict scout hall on the edge of Ratho.
Victor worked together with community activists from play schemes, youth projects, churches and schools to create a countryside resource for children and young people of Greater Pilton. Successful negotiation with the farmer and scouts, and a payment of either £10.00 or £20.00 was enough to secure the building for Pilton use.
The thrift shop was soon opened in Pilton to sell donated goods to raise funds. A wider appeal for funding and loads of voluntary effort meant that the first groups of children and young people from Pilton started staying at the retreat in the summer of 1971. Initially it was only the building, but by the mid 1970’s some extra land was rented, and since then further improvements to the grounds and the facilities have been achieved. What exists today is a result of the efforts of many people over these 50 years.
Ken Smith managed the centre for 25 years and was instrumental in keeping it sustainable and a great resource over all these years, he was committed, dedicated and passionate about the centre and all that it was about and ensured local children and young people from North Edinburgh got the chance to visit for a day trip, and often stay over at Ratho.
Pilton Retreat provides a self-contained play environment in a rural location primarily for groups and schools working with children and families from North Edinburgh. A little piece of countryside on the outskirts of the city, the retreat has welcomed tens of thousands of local children for over 50 years. The centre has been renovated and upgraded in more recent years, and welcomes a variety of groups for day visits and overnight stays. From churches, youth groups, parents groups, corporate groups and more...
Remarkably over those fifty years the charity has only had five different chairpersons. Tracey Berry 2018 the latest chairperson, welcomed guests to the Millennium Centre to bid farewell to Ken Smith for all his hard work and dedication over the years. Scott Marshall a former chair first became involved with the Pilton Retreat in 1984 and interviewed Ken for the manager’s post in 1992. He told guests: “Ken is a real grafter who can turn his hand to anything. He worked so effectively alongside Davie. We often used to say that, had the council been managing a project that operated 7 days a week for 11 months of the years, they would have needed at least 6 staff: we had Ken and Davie!!"
Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG) took on the management of the centre in 2018 which was a great opportunity to keep the centre connected to North Edinburgh and ensure local people still got the chance to go the centre. They continue to manage the centre to this day. In more recent years they have a part time manager in post and this has enabled the centre to flourish again and continue to ensure it remains true to its roots and longevity in the local community of North Edinburgh.