About Us
15304
wp-singular,page-template,page-template-full_width,page-template-full_width-php,page,page-id-15304,page-parent,wp-theme-bridge,wp-child-theme-bridge-child,bridge-core-3.3.3,qode-optimizer-1.0.4,qode-page-transition-enabled,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,qode_grid_1200,qode-child-theme-ver-1.0.0,qode-theme-ver-30.8.5,qode-theme-bridge,disabled_footer_top,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-8.7.2,vc_responsive
 

About Us

About Us

The Ballast Trust has been working for 30 years to help preserve the records of Scotland’s industrial past.

The Ballast Trust policy statement sets out our aims and the terms under which we can process records on behalf of other record repositories. It was approved by the Board of Trustees on 7 December 2009.

What Do We Do?

The Ballast Trust supports the work of archive repositories to preserve records relating to business and industry in Scotland. The Trust does this by providing the facilities to process business archive collections and the technical expertise and knowledge required to understand these collections and catalogue them fully.

Our Staff

The Director of the Ballast Trust is Kiara King. The Ballast Trust is supported and governed by a Board of Trustees for the Lind Foundation SCIO. They are:

  • Colin Millar (Chairman)
  • Miles Oglethorpe
  • Siobhan Convery
  • Hugh Murphy
  • Alan McKinley

In 2025, Professor Anthony Slaven stepped down as Chairman of the Trustees after nearly 40 years of working with the Trust.

 

The Ballast Trust has 4 members of staff including the post of Business Archives Surveying Officer which has been based here since 2014 and funded by the Lind Foundation with support from the National Records of Scotland.

We are also supported by our regular team of long-term volunteers: Alistair Hart, Bob McNair, Bob Osborne, Campbell Cornwall, Craig Osborne, Graham Todd, Steve Barron and Stuart Rankin. Along with our student and career volunteers.

 

In January 2018, Duncan Winning retired after more than 25 years with the Ballast Trust. He sadly passed away in March that year and we have prepared this piece in memory of him.

Our Publications

Annual Reports

Other publications

 

How To Find Us

Our office is located at:

18-20 Walkinshaw Street, Johnstone, PA5 8AB (map).

The premises provide us with large storage space for processing archive collections.

We are a 10 minute walk from Johnstone train station and Johnstone itself is 15 minutes by train or 20 minutes by car from Glasgow.