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Strathnaver Museum has been officially relaunched following a four-year closure and an ambitious £2.3 million project to upgrade the facility and build a new annexe.
The reopening of the museum, housed in a historic parish church at Bettyhill and surrounded by a graveyard, was celebrated at a high-profile event held in glorious sunshine last Saturday.
It was attended by museum trustees past and present and their families, as well as volunteers, funding representatives, MP Jamie Stone, MSP Maree Todd, Councillors Michael Baird and Marianne Hutchison and other invited guests.
A specially composed poem was read out by retired volunteer Irene Mackay while local teacher Carol-Anne Farquhar of Feis air An Oir performed a new pipe tune she had composed and called Tapadh Leat – Gaelic for thank you.
Another volunteer Irene Mackay pulled a tartan ribbon in a symbolic opening gesture. Guests were given tours of the museum and a new exhibition and workshop space created to the rear of Clachan graveyard.
The museum, which tells the story of the Clan Mackay, closed down in 2019 initially to allow modernisation work to take place but it remained shut as the coronavirus pandemic struck the nation.
More than £2 million in capital funding was sourced to create the new annexe and to install accessible interpretation across the site and deliver community research projects.
Chairman of the museum trustees Tom Mackay gave a potted history of the building which was the subject of a community asset transfer in the early 1960s – thought to be one of the earliest community transfers – and opened to the public in 1975.
Trustee Frances Gunn paid tribute to museum manager Fiona Mackenzie saying she had “taken our aspirations and turned them into something funders could support” and had worked ceaselessly to bring the project to fruition.
Ms Gunn added: “We are lucky to have fantastic volunteers and a wonderful staff.”
Dr Fiona Maclean, representing the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which contributed £650,000, said she was “thrilled to see the transformation”.
She said: “We recognise that today marks the culmination of what has clearly been a long and challenging journey for you. The pandemic caused many challenges, with delays and modifications to the plans but Strathnaver Museum overcame the obstacles.
“And I am sure you can all agree the project has breathed new life into this majestic building, preserving its history and fabric for future generations and transforming it into a vibrant hub for north west Sutherland.
“It is much more than a repository for artefacts, it has become a beacon of opportunity for local communities, providing much needed space for people to come together and celebrate their shared history.
“It will be a source of inspiration and pride for future generations. It is clear to see what can be achieved when people come together with a shared vision.”
