AHHA Receives Heritage Lottery Grant

Ardnamurchan is blessed with an exceptionally rich and fascinating history which goes back over 10,000 years into the mesolithic. It includes mesolithic rubbish heaps left by nomadic hunter gatherers, three 6,000-year old neolithic cairns - at Camas nan Geall, Swordle and Ormsaigmore - bronze age hut circles and cairns, iron age forts, a Viking boat burial, a 12th century church - St Comghan's - a 13th century castle - Mingary - and evidence of the farming activities of communities which goes back hundreds of years, as well as a rich oral history.

As a result, the Ardnamurchan History & Heritage Association has just been awarded a £9,300 Heritage Lottery Fund grant to help it promote the heritage of the Ardnamurchan peninsula both locally, particularly among the younger generation, and nationally and internationally. As much of this money will be spent locally as possible. Projects include printing booklets for visitors, a website, an education pack for schools, digital recorders for oral history recordings, an archive which it is hoped will develop into a small museum, and signage and an interpretation board at key sites.

The grant is available over the coming year, so a huge amount of work has to be done. AHHA is looking for new members, both locally, nationally and worldwide, to help with this. Please contact me at kilchoandiary@btinternet.com if you are interested.