Strathnaver Museum was successful in obtaining grant funding from Highland Leader 2007-2013 and the Heritage Lottery Fund for this project which aimed to increase heritage knowledge and involve people in development of heritage awareness through improvement of the Museum’s resources. For 18 months during 2012 – 2013 the projects main schemes were introduced.
Project Summary
Over the past 8 years, while working towards a bigger redevelopment the Museum has continued to develop its activities and has increased visitor numbers by over 30% in the past 4 years. Our project is a significant aspect of social history and can play a leading role in community conservation and enhance the UK’s diverse heritage. The Museum preserves history while simultaneously linking the past, present and future through the interpretation of objects and sharing of information to highlight past ways of life via programmes of activity both within the museum and out in the community. To adequately preserve The Museum‘s wide-ranging collection of artefacts and archive the materials that relate to documentation of the history has come about from the concern that the culture, traditions and customs should be updated by record and kept for future generations.
Generally this project:
- Control the permanent and growing local archive with easy flexible and imaginative access to a range of historical sources through organising the acquisition and retrieval of records; entering material into searchable database/ catalogues and promoting local and global demand for this work through building up website archive access.
- Digitizing all census material with training in genealogy to enable effective genealogical research to create a genealogy provision using archive materials and marketing a genealogy service.
- Arranging guided walks in Strathnaver with winter talks series and other social events focused on local history, music and archaeology based on the museum collection.
- Commission artists to share creative interpretations on the Museum’s collection.