Payout of £50,000 assures kirk revival
Old church restoration is on
Published:
WORK to restore a Black Isle church will begin this summer after Highland Council agreed to donate £50,000 – the last cash tranche needed for the £1million project.
Cromarty East Church found fame on BBC One’s Restoration Village programme two years ago.
The project won a £641,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund just before Christmas, allowing the appointment of a specialist contractor.
Yesterday, at a meeting of Highland Council, councillors agreed to provide the final £50,000 needed for the project.
Other funders are Historic Scotland (£340,000), Scottish Architectural Heritage Trust (£8,000), Cromarty Trust (£1,500), fundraising (£6,331), and in-kind contributions (£7,000).
The Scottish Redundant Churches Trust (SRCT), which now owns the building, has appointed local councillor David Alston and Caroline Vawdrey as part-time community and education officers to organise a range of events, activities, exhibitions and volunteering opportunities over the three-year restoration period.
They will provide information on the progress of work at the church and keep both the local community and the wider public up to date with developments.
SRCT director Victoria Collison-Owen said: “The support of the people of Cromarty during our Restoration Village bid was fantastic and we are looking forward to working with the community again as the Church undergoes major conservation and repair work.”
