Local community group, Nether Lochaber Community Association, is celebrating after being awarded £8,000 in National Lottery funding to support its work at the Inchree Barn. The group, based in Nether Lochaber, will use the money to appoint an artist interested in community, history and heritage to lead on Brìgh: Stories in Stone. The development of the Barn Project has highlighted that there is little written/preserved history of the community here despite a rich and interesting past. The project aims to collect this history along with local stories and pastimes.
Nether Lochaber Community Association has been running since 2017 and is staffed by 10 volunteers and 1 employee. It was founded by members of the community to improve facilities and service for people who live, visit and work in the area. The Inchree Barn is the Association’s largest asset and the planning application for its renovation will be entered in the next few weeks.
The new funding from The National Lottery Awards For All programme, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, was awarded through a Creative Scotland selection process. It will help to build a living community archive and plan for the future development of heritage sculptures in the area following another grant acquisition. Any interested artists should get in touch with the project for a brief by emailing [email protected].
Lucy Cooke, Project Officer for the Inchree Barn Project, says: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Awards for All programme and Creative Scotland have recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to champion Nether Lochaber by unearthing and recording local community heritage so that the people in the area can be recognised, remembered and celebrated. To be able to support art, individuality and creativity in the community feels more important than ever.”
Esme Leitch, Creative Scotland’s Place, Partnerships & Communities Officer said: “The Inchree Barn Project is a fantastic example of how communities can come together to celebrate their shared history and shape their future. By creating a living community archive, this project is not only helping to preserve the past but also strengthening connections between generations. It’s fostering creativity, inspiring young people to engage with their heritage in meaningful ways, and promoting well-being by giving communities a space to reflect on their identity.”
Background
Header image is Inchree Barn, courtesy of the Nether Lochaber Community Association.
About the National Lottery Awards for All Scotland programme
The programme is a partnership between The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland, sportscotland and Creative Scotland.
National Lottery Awards for All Scotland is a quick way to apply for funding to support activity in communities. It can fund projects that’ll do at least one of these things:
- bring people together to build strong relationships in and across communities
- improve the places and spaces that matter to communities
- help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage
- support people, communities and organisations facing more demands and challenges because of the cost-of-living crisis.
About Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery, which, now in its 30th year, has supported over 14,600 projects with more than £501.9 million in funding through Creative Scotland and its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot.
Media contact
Lucy Cooke Project Officer for the Inchree Barn Project (Nether Lochaber Community Association) [email protected]