On Monday 6th March we hosted a VIP Visit from our Argyll & Bute MSP, Jenni Minto and also representatives from the National Lottery Heritage fund! Jenni was accompanied by her colleague Keir and from NLHF we had Laura Matheson and Catriona Melville. The main purpose of the visit was to showcase the impact of the planned Heritage Fund-supported work.
First Catriona, NLHF Policy and Public Affairs Manager for Scotland, gave an overview of their work and aims. Then the St Conan’s team, Rosie , Liz and Peter, briefly described the importance of St Conan’s Heritage and the step-change which will come from this project. The capital works will address issues with cold, damp, leaks, toilets, accessibility, lack of rooms, parking and lighting. As a result, working with volunteers and partners, we will share the heritage of St Conan’s with a wider, more inclusive audience, encouraging engagement and supporting lives. The heritage will be better conserved and the building and organisation more resilient.
Peter then led the party on a 30 minute tour which combined insights into St Conan’s history and heritage with an onsite explanation of where and what work would be done. These highlighted the community and visitor benefits which would result from the project.
We concluded the visit in back in the Library. An important part of our community support and engagement involves children and working with local schools. Phil therefore showed our visitors the really fun animated children’s guide to St Conan’s which he has developed. Initially this will be made available to schools working with us during the Delivery Phase of the NHLF project. Eventually it will be more widely accessible.
It was a pleasure to host this visit and we look forward to sharing how things develop as the building works get underway.
