£54k funding boost for Rosal clearance village acquisition as four Highland projects receive Scottish Land Fund grants
A community project in Sutherland is among four causes in the Highlands to have received grants totalling £377,328 from the Scottish Land Fund.
A grant of £54,000 will allow North Sutherland Community Forest Trust to acquire the site of Rosal clearance village, which the group aims to preserve, interpret and promote as an historic site for community benefit.
Elsewhere, Glen Urquhart Rural Community Association SCIO has been awarded £217,340 to purchase land in Drumnadrochit, Inverness, where it plans to develop a community sports, health and wellbeing hub.
Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston Community Company has received £44,800 to acquire the Memorial Hall building in Canalside, Fort Augustus, which it will develop into a community space and office shared with workspace.
A grant of £61,188 will also allow Sunart Community Company to acquire Strontian Parish Church.
The grants are amongst eight, totalling £829,692, that have been announced during this year’s Community Land Festival, which runs until Sunday, November 3.
Andreas Herfurt, chair, North Sutherland Community Forest Trust, said: "In the early 1800's more than 1,000 people were evicted from Strathnaver's townships.
“The North Sutherland Community Forestry Trust is proud to have secured Rosal in community ownership, thanks to the Scottish Land Fund, as testimony to the generations of people who had made it their home.
“We look forward to working with partner organisations to make visiting this iconic site easier, to more fully share its history and appreciate the flora and fauna that thrive there now."
The Scottish Land Fund reopened to applications in April 2021. The programme is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership by The National Lottery Community Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, both of which have extensive experience of helping communities to acquire and develop their assets for over a decade.
Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary, Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, said: “The Scottish Land Fund gives people an important say in the way that assets in their communities are run and used.
“The variety in the recipients in this round is really encouraging and I would like to congratulate all the groups behind the projects and wish them all the best as they take these forward.”
Cara Gillespie, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair said: “These awards will provide groups across the country with the resources to use in ways that they themselves have identified as important, helping to strengthen communities in vital ways.
Sandra Holmes, Head of Community Assets at HIE, said: “The successful projects announced today across Scotland have all identified opportunities to help their local area to thrive and are great examples of people taking control of local resources for the long-term benefit of their communities.
“Through the purchase of land and properties including a parish church and a memorial hall, groups will be in a position to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits to the community.
“Ownership will give them greater control over important assets that will reap rewards for people now and for generations to come.”
Other groups receiving funding include:
Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust - £233,300
Sanday Development Trust - £98,098
Westray Development Trust - £83,128 and £37,838
