Jan has a background in owning and managing pubs, sales, and latterly she worked as an estate agent. Now retired in Strathaven she became concerned about the decay of Strathaven Castle and the lack of information from the relevant authorities about its condition and future. As someone with a great love of heritage and history she thought it was important for the generations to come that the castle be preserved. She set up a Facebook group to gauge the interest of Stravonians far and wide in making sure the castle was accessible, and to pressure the powers that be to secure its future. This led to the formation of Friends Of Strathaven Castle with a formal committee and charitable status, and Jan serves as Chair.

Jeremy, now retired, has spent a lifetime working in civil engineering, being awarded Fellowship of the Institution of Civil Engineers while leading the Metropolitan Glasgow Sustainable Drainage Programme in 2010. His work has taken him across the UK, parts of Europe and the USA. Jeremy and his family came to the Strathaven area in 2009 and quickly became part of the Strathaven community, mainly through the dynamism of his late wife, Michele (Jeremy is still referred to as “Michele’s husband” from time to time). He was concerned about the length of time the castle had been shut off and the effects of dereliction while it sat there, untouched, with no communication about its future. He offered support to FoSC bringing his skills, experience and attitude to assist in making things happen to conserve the castle and secure its future.

Annie Wildman is originally from East Kilbride and now lives in Strathaven. Annie has a keen interest in Archeology and History, so was happy to become a member of FoSC when Jan suggested organising a group to help preserve the castle. Annie is currently our treasurer.

Andy is a Stravonian, born in Newton Road and brought up in Crofthead Street. Leaving school at 15 he started his apprenticeship locally with Bryson Printers where he spent five years before moving into the newspaper industry with the Ayr Advertiser then Airdrie Advertiser, finishing up in the Hamilton Advertiser. After 25 years in the industry he left to then spend another 25 years with Lanarkshire Leisure in East Kilbride. His newspaper background and his knowledge of the history of Strathaven are valuable assets he brings to the team.

Janie is originally from Hamilton, but with ancestors from Strathaven going back generations (at least one of whom was a resident of Strathaven Castle if Ancestry is to be believed). Having lived in Strathaven in the 1980s enjoying exploring around the castle, when she moved back in 2022 she was disappointed to see that the castle was in a dangerous condition and public access was prohibited. With retirement looming she decided to get involved in the efforts to bring the castle back to the community for future generations. Having a background in web design before going to work in the media, she dusted off her web design skills to set up and maintain the group’s website.