May 2026 saw Leith Civic Trust formally apply to the Officeof the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) to approve a new status as a SCIO(Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) and a new name: Leith MuseumTrust.First established in 1968, the Trust’s mission was toprovide a body to stimulate public interest in, and care for, the beauty,history and character of Leith, encouraging preservation and the thoughtfuldevelopment of historic features for public benefit.

In the following decades wecampaigned to save The King’s Wark and Pilrig House, undertook an Open Spacesreview to understand and offer constructive suggestions for recreationalspaces, spearheaded ‘Clean Up Leith’ projects which have been continued by otherbodies since, and was one of a group of organisations who supported the hugelysuccessful Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race which saw tens of thousands of peopleflock to Leith for this landmark event in 1995.

In 2020 the Trust was a partnerin the Leith 100 Days project marking the centenary of the forced amalgamationof Leith and Edinburgh, and which can be found on the Leith Forever website.The Trust was an early supporter of the campaign for amuseum for Leith, and along with many others, actively championed the purchaseof Custom House as a venue for this.

Leith through Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT) was tasked with not only maintaining Custom House from 2015 onwards, but also establishing the plan for a dedicated museum space within a restored building. In 2024, SHBT unveiled the plans for Custom House’s restoration and transformation, and as part of this, it was necessary to identify a partner charity that was Leiththrough and through, and which would ultimately take on the finished museum galleries and help them thrive in the future: Leith Civic Trust was that body.

Witha new name and status, Leith Museum Trust will continue to champion Leith’sheritage through what is set to be a landmark museum in Scotland, andencouraging people to explore the streets and spaces beyond.Now the Trust is actively building its expertise andreadiness to be custodians of the museum when it is complete in 2032.

Through opportunities, challenges, excitement and endlesspossibility over six decades, the Trust has always kept true to one word inparticular that just happens to be Leith’s motto: persevere.  

Trustees: Cron Mackay (Chair), Stephen Dickson, Jennifer Marlborough, Michaela Guthrie, Alison Moodie, Isabel Kane.

Leith Museum Trust will be recruiting for additionaltrustees with specific skills and experience – further information will beannounced in summer 2026.