The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust was set up in 2009 to save Moat Brae house and garden from demolition and to celebrate its international literary connection as ‘The Birthplace of Peter Pan’. Over the course of the following 10 years the Trustees gave countless hours of commitment to manage the delivery of a project of huge economic and cultural importance to the town, the region and to Scotland.

As Patron of the Trust since 2011, Dame Joanna Lumley championed the fundraising campaign which turned the derelict building into an international visitor attraction and attracted 26,000 people in its first year (despite COVID-19) bringing an estimated £1 million annually to the area’s economy.

The Trust’s vision is to create a world where reading and storytelling are an integral part of growing up and therefore everything it does contributes towards the realisation of that vision. The driving motivation for its vision is the belief that reading, and storytelling improve the life quality of children of all abilities and backgrounds.

More widely, storytelling is considered hugely important to the development of social and cultural behaviour with tangible benefits for human interrelations leading to better cultural integration, understanding and tolerance.

Among the key partners are the UK Government, National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Castansa Trust, The Holywood Trust, Historic Environment Scotland, Scottish Government, Dumfries & Galloway Council, Creative Scotland and Garfield Weston. There have also been many other funders and donors including private trusts and individuals. The project has also captured the hearts of many supporters and valued volunteers within the Dumfries & Galloway community as well as from across the UK and internationally.

The Adventures in Storytelling exhibition is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.