'Lasting legacy for tourism in the Highlands': Fund that supported Strathnaver Museum redevelopment is celebrated at an event in Inverness today
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A PIONEERING £22 million fund which supported the redevelopment of Strathnaver Museum in north Sutherland, has been celebrated at an event in Inverness today.
The Natural & Cultural Heritage Fund (NCJF), which has now closed following a single round of funding, was said to have left a “lasting legacy” for tourism in the Highlands and Islands.
The ambitious Strathnaver Museum project was one of 13 schemes across the Highlands to have been supported by the fund - it received £900,000.
Talks and demonstrations covering all 13 projects were held at today's event which took place at the Nature Scot’s Great Glen House headquarters.
NCHF has been led by NatureScot with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Its aim was to help projects that encourage visitors to experience a wider range of the unique nature and culture of the Highlands and Islands.
The fund also aimed to benefit communities with the project it supports by helping to retain local jobs and services.
The schemes which have benefited from NCHF funding range from two new visitor centres at Dundreggan and Corrieshalloch Gorge, to virtual reality tours of important archaeological sites along the Hebridean Walking Route, as well as the renovation of museums at Kilmartin and Strathnaver, and innovative grassland restoration on Skye.
Another exciting and innovative project to receive help is Spirit of the Highlands and Islands, which brings local storytelling to life through a website, film and photography, audio and two immersive portals featuring 360-degree films of various parts of the Highlands and Islands.
NatureScot’s deputy director Eileeen Stuart said the NCHF programme had been a “resounding success”.
“It has been a wonderful journey seeing these 13 projects come to life, bringing sometimes overlooked corners of Scotland to the forefront and benefiting rural communities,” she said.
Visit Scotland’s destination development director Chris Taylor said: “Investing in infrastructure projects such as these creates a long lasting legacy of high-quality visitor experiences in the Highlands and Islands.
“VisitScotland has welcomed the opportunity to be part of the project board, which has helped shape £22 million of new investment in the visitor economy. The knock-on visitor economy benefits from these projects will be huge - employment, supply chain, local businesses, food, transport, will all get a boost."
Brian O hEadhra, partnership and development manager at Bord na Gaidhlig said: "The Natural & Cultural Heritage Fund has helped ensure that the Gaelic language and culture is integrated into these projects and the visitor experience, which is a fantastic legacy for the Highlands and Islands."
The Scottish Government’s ERDF programme provided £8.2 million of NCHF funding for the 13 projects, with match funding from other sources bringing the overall investment up to more than £22 million.
An advisory board guided the process and helped make decisions on which project should be funded. The board included representatives from VisitScotland, HIE, Historic Environment Scotland, Museums Galleries Scotland and Bord na Gaidhlig.
The redevelopment project at Strathnaver Museum conserved the historic parish church that houses the museum and improved the visitor experience. It also secured the condition and integrity of the collections, extended outreach work across the area, increased the services offered on site, increased the number of staff and improved the retail and research spaces.
