Children in Scotland and Dumfries and Galloway Outdoor Access Trust are among the latest round of Historic Environment Support Fund recipients
A project to engage young people in Dumfries and Galloway with heritage and improvement works to a scheduled monument are set to benefit from funding from Historic Environment Scotland (HES).
As part of the Historic Environment Support Fund, £10,011 has been awarded to Children in Scotland (CiS) for a project to engage young people with the heritage, museum and historic environment sectors. Working with 45 young people in Dumfries, Perth and Stirling, CiS will consult with the young people on how to make the historic environment more inclusive and equally accessed by all. The groups of young people will identify how best to attract, engage and retain other young people and will develop creative outputs including art, theatre, media and music.
The project has been adapted due to COVID-19, with groups of young people taking part in small, socially distanced groups and through online digital engagement.
£2,100 has also been awarded to the Dumfries and Galloway Outdoor Access Trust for improvements to Castle Haven Dun. The Trust will install interpretation at the scheduled monument as well as establishing a footpath which will make the Iron Age fortification more accessible by connecting it to the wider coastal path network.
£104,888 has been awarded to nine heritage projects as part of the Historic Environment Support Fund, administered by HES. The work being carried out by the recipients will benefit communities across the country, with projects based in Orkney, Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway and central Scotland, among others.
The Historic Environment Support Fund is used to support various one-off, heritage-related projects in Scotland, and has been running since 2016, with £898,014 distributed since it was launched. As part of this current round of funding, £104,888 has been awarded to nine projects across the country.
Amy Eastwood, Head of Grants at HES, said: “From developing and promoting traditional skills to looking for sustainable ways to reuse and repair buildings as well as engaging a wide range of different groups with the historic environment, these projects showcase the diverse impact that heritage has on people’s lives, and the valuable contribution it has on communities up and down the country.
“With COVID-19 restrictions still in place, many of the Support Fund recipients have had to adapt the way in which they carry out their activity in order to continue delivering the invaluable work they do to protect and celebrate our historic environment, and I look forward to seeing the progress unfold as we enter 2021.”
Chris Ross, Senior Policy, Projects and Participation officer at Children in Scotland, said: “We know young people appreciate museums as places for education, learning and reflection. However, we are also aware that they currently experience significant barriers to access, which the heritage sector needs to overcome.
“Our Living Museums project will work with young people aged 14-21 to remove their barriers to access and engagement, ensuring they feel represented, welcomed, engaged and included within the museum environment.
We are very pleased to be recipients of funding from Historic Environment Scotland to progress this important project.”
Peter Ross, Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Outdoor Access Trust, said: “We are grateful for Historic Environment Scotland in giving funds to help improve access and information to this impressive monument on the rugged coast of the Borgue Peninsula on The Solway Firth. It is a small part of a Core Path upgrade which has the ambition to go right round the coast of Dumfries and Galloway. With our other partners, Dumfries and Galloway Council Countryside Team, Borgue Community Council, Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere and HPB Coo Palace taking part in the larger path improvement project. This enhancement of ‘The Borg’ shows that through collaboration by different agencies the community benefits encompass our heritage, our nature, our economy and our well-being.”
The next application deadline for the Historic Environment Support Fund is Wednesday 31 March 2021. For further information, visit: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/grants-and-funding/our-grants/historic-environment-support-fund/
