‘Galloway Glens’ Landscape Partnership Scheme secures Heritage Lottery Fund support
Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Countryside Service has received an earmarked grant¹ of £2.9m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) through its Landscape Partnership (LP) programme² for the Galloway Glens project..
Focusing on the catchment of the Ken/Dee river system, the project aims to reconnect communities with their natural, built and cultural heritage, improving fragile habitats, benefiting the plants and animals that rely on them, celebrating and interpreting the way people have changed the landscape over many generations, helping local communities build sustainable resilient local economies in balance with their landscape and wildlife. Development funding of £185,500 has also been awarded to help Galloway Glens Partnership to progress their plans to apply for a full grant in 2017. The development phase will run until May 2017.
The Heritage Lottery Fund has recognised the outstanding natural, built and cultural heritage of this area, which is a regional scenic area, home to some of our rarest species, such as Golden Eagle and Nightjar, has a host of national and international designation, and is part of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere and the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park.
The project is a partnership of many statutory, private and voluntary organisations , uch as Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry Commission Scotland, SEPA, National Trust Scotland, Historic Scotland, Scottish Power, Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, RSPB, Southern Uplands partnership, Solway Firth Partnership, Crichton Carbon Centre, Catstrand, Lock Ken Advisory Management Group, Galloway Fisheries Trust, voluntary group, individuals and businesses.
Councillor Colin Smyth, Chairman of Economy, Environment and Infrastructure Committee, said, “I’m delighted that our Council has been successful in taking the first major step towards securing significant Heritage Lottery Fund support for the Galloway Glens project. The hard work and vision from our Council’s Countryside Service in developing a project that will help restore and conserve the landscape of the area has paid off. This ground breaking and exciting project will not only help transform and conserve hundreds of miles of our natural, built and cultural heritage but will deliver a range of opportunities for local communities, including training in rural heritage skills for 16 to 24 year olds, learning opportunities for school pupils and conservation skills. This project will really enable local communities to be more fully engaged in land management in our region. Building the local economy is the number one priority of our Council and this announcement shows we are determined to achieve this in every part of Dumfries and Galloway, urban and rural alike.”
Lucy Casot, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said, “Our species and habitats are under constant threat yet they make a massive contribution to our economy. HLF is delighted to make this award as it will make a real difference to the Galloway area and the people that live there. Thanks to National Lottery players, nature-based tourism can be developed without detriment to the beautiful surroundings and people will reconnect with, and appreciate the nature that makes Scotland so special.”
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