Up to 19 jobs are at risk at a Scottish conservation charity that is facing a “serious financial deficit”.
The John Muir Trust, which is based in Pitlochry and employs 64 people, said its operating costs in the past year had been significantly higher than its income in a “particularly challenging financial environment”.
The charity’s income was higher than its expenditure between 2019 and 2021, but it spent £3.6m in 2022 against an income of £3.5m, accounts show.
The charity said it had to make changes to deal with its financial issues.
“In response, costs were reduced across all areas of the business,” the charity said in a statement.
“But even after these cost savings, the charity has not reached the minimum financial level required of us.
“Sadly, there was no option but to take the incredibly difficult decision to put up to 19 jobs at risk.”
The charity said it had delayed several projects until it had the funding and resources to support them.
It is also making changes to the John Muir Award, a competition that “encourages people of all backgrounds to connect with, enjoy and care for wild places”.
The charity is no longer accepting new proposal forms for the award and any that have already been received will be reviewed and registered providing criteria can be met.
“The trust has been undertaking a detailed review of the award for some time, consulting widely with partners to ensure that its future operation remains sustainable and aligns fully with our charitable objectives,” the charity said.
“The pause in processing new awards from August this year will allow us to focus on completing this process through a redesign of the award.
“Our aim is to launch the new John Muir Award early in 2025. We will be sharing updates on progress via our website and email bulletin.”