Donate to TidesMeet to help maintain the Colintraive Church building

TidesMeet

TidesMeet in stunning Colintraive

TidesMeet has being formed for the advancement of citizenship and community development; working with local charities and businesses to retain and develop the remote, rural village of Colintraive as a thriving community. It is a beautiful small building on the banks of the Kyles of Bute, although conveniently sited on the mainland, and is where the tides literally meet from either side of the Isle of Bute.

The Friends of Colintraive Church (SC053076) is a small community led charity which owns the former Colintraive Church and is now known as TidesMeet. TidesMeet is already bringing new and emerging business into the area, not only for itself but also for the Village Hall and The Colintraive and other local businesses such as holiday lets. We look forward to working as a community team to enhance the local offerings for everyone.

There are plans to adapt the former church building, no longer a religious establishment, into a small, flexible, tranquil space. A venue that we, the community, can hire and use for a range of activities, such as small concerts, workshops, book groups, singing, and other groups such as 'coffee and chat’ to keep the community thriving and combat loneliness in small rural areas.

TidesMeet now has more weddings booked than in the past 20 years, partly we think because it can now be used for secular as well as religious weddings. This is not only bringing business into the community area but is advancing knowledge about the Secret Coast in general for tourism.

The building is also available for funerals and other special services and is a space for other community gatherings and wellness. It is a hub where we can meet in a small and comfortable setting, making the most of the natural light and acoustic potential.

Whilst we are an emerging business and doing well to get established, we require funding to repair the building, renovate the space and eventually create the vision of the community. We are now applying for grants and funds in order to raise the necessary capital to invest in our community. The five Trustees are all women and are striving to develop the requirements of the community.

Funding Stages – all prices are Quantity Surveyor estimates inc tax and contingency

1. Immediate repairs to roof and mortar to arrest water ingress

2. Development into a desirable venue for making the best use of the space

3. Enhancing the building to make a pleasurable space into a growth business

Questionnaire Email - all responses are welcome

Dear Members and Supporters,

As you know, Friends of Colintraive Church purchased the Colintraive Church building, now TidesMeet, on 27 March 2026.

We are very pleased to tell you that we have received four bookings for weddings in TidesMeet for 2026 and 2027. This is very encouraging as we have not advertised at all and these events are bringing in business to both the Village Hall and to the Colintraive Hotel.

We have a bat survey taking place next week and then hopefully we will be able to arrange the very necessary roof repairs to make it wind and watertight.

PLEASE see the attached questionaire! WE do very much need feedback from members / the community so please, take time to complete the form. It is also available in the Colintraive shop and may be returned there or sent back by email.

This email is being sent to you as a member of 'Friends of Colintraive Church'. A decision was taken at the AGM not to have an annual membership charge but you will be reminded annually that you are a member. As a member you will receive updates about progress regarding TidesMeet. If you would like to withdraw from being a member, then please respond to this email. Please also let us know if your address has changed as this could affect your category of membership.

Please note that in future we will be using a different email address (friends@tidesmeet.org.uk). This email is cc'd to the new address.

We look forward to receiving your views!

TidesMeet Committee

Booking TidesMeet for your event

It is easy to book the TidesMeet building for your event. The building is currently very much an old church building with heating and lighting but no toilet or kitchenette yet. We are taking bookings for weddings, funerals, and naming services at £250 if you have an officiant or celebrant and at a price to be discussed if you would like us to organise the officiant or celebrant for you.

Hire for a celebration or memorial service is also available. Please enquire for prices.

Any questions? Contact us at friends@tidesmeet.org.uk

Booking Calendar to use the Colintraive church building - interactive and easy to use

FoCC AGM 2026 Minutes

The Minutes of the FoCC AGM held on the 28th April 2026 are to be found from this link: FoCC AGM Minutes 2026

The Minutes give a full record of the Chair's Report, Report of Financial Position, Election of Charity Trustees and AOB raised at the meeting.

Anyone wishing to join as a member can use the membership form or contact one of the Trustees; Jennifer Macalister Hall , Joan Edgar, Nikki Hallum, Claire MacLeod or Wendy Black.

Update from Friends of Colintraive Church - 18 March 2026

Missives have been exchanged today for the purchase of the Colintraive Church by the Friends of Colintraive Church.

By next Friday, 27 March, the building will be owned by the FoCC. Thank you to everyone who supported us to get to this stage of the venture.

Thank you again for supporting FoCC in this venture. It is wonderful to have reached this point at last and we look forward to sharing with you our future plans for TidesMeet in the Colintraive church building! We will provide an update once we have completed the purchase and more detailed information will be available at the forthcoming AGM at the end of April (date to be announced), on the website and by email.