Tomintoul & Glenlivet secure Heritage Lottery Fund support

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), on behalf of partners working with the Tomintoul and Glenlivet Development Trust (TGDT), has received earmarked funding of over £2.5million including a development grant of £171,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund through its Landscape Partnership programme.

This funding alongside £50,000 from the Cairngorms National Park Authority, £40,000 from the Crown Estate, £50,000 from Highland and Islands Enterprise and significant voluntary input from the local community and other organisations enables 18 months work to develop detailed proposals for a wide range of projects in Tomintoul and Glenlivet  that could see a total investment of £3.6M in the area.

Tomintoul and Glenlivet  has a distinct heritage with many colourful stories from the past, the project will use this rich heritage to promote rural regeneration and encourage more visitors to experience this distinctive and vibrant part of the National Park.

The vision is for the communities of Tomintoul and Glenlivet to share and celebrate the hidden heritage of the area, building on the economic regeneration already underway and significantly enhancing the landscape, heritage, skills and development opportunities in the long term. There will be a variety of projects to get involved in which will provide many training opportunities for people to learn new skills.  Planned work includes projects to improve the museum and visitor centre in Tomintoul, gather oral history, conserve important buildings in the area such as Scalan and Blairfindy Castle, restore woodland along sections of the River Avon, create more wetland habitat for wading birds and improve paths in the area.

Steve Smith, Chair of the TGDT said, “We are delighted with the outcome of the Landscape Partnership bid, the size of investment that the award brings presents a huge opportunity for both the local area and the wider community.  All partners have worked extremely hard in presenting a bid that truly reflected our passion and commitment to preserve, enhance and celebrate the unique landscape and heritage within the Tomintoul and Glenlivet area.  We look forward to realising the ambitions of the bid.”

The project will also focus on working with young people, in particular supporting Speyside High School with their Rural Skills programme and running junior ranger posts in conjunction with schools and the Crown Estate.  A learning hub will be developed in Tomintoul to offer training and courses for everyone in the community.

Eleanor Mackintosh CNPA Board Member said, “We are very excited about this partnership.  The first phase of support from the Heritage Lottery Fund is a real recognition of the strength of partnership and commitment that the community, the Crown Estate, agencies and our partners are making to the long term development of Tomintoul and Glenlivet. There is still a lot of work to do but this is a fantastic start.”

Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, added: “It’s thanks to the Lottery playing public that we can make awards such as this so we are delighted to mark The National Lottery’s 20th birthday with such good news for the communities of Tomintoul and Glenlivet. What they have already started on a small scale can now be taken forward bringing real cohesion to the natural and built heritage of the region.  Nature lies at the heart of what makes Scotland special and having funded over 300 natural heritage projects, HLF is committed to helping people reconnect with what often lies overlooked on their doorstep.”