Over £280K awarded through the Museum Development Fund
Museums Galleries Scotland has awarded £280,834 to five organisations through its Museum Development Fund.
From Dundee to Shetland, the funded projects aim to enhance community engagement, upgrade facilities, and improve collections management.
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said:
“These well-deserved funding awards highlight the transformational opportunities Museum Galleries Scotland’s Development Fund offers, supporting museums across Scotland.
“Each award will enable the successful organisations to deliver wide ranging activities including community and visitor engagement, demonstrating the social and economic benefits that museums provide, in line with the Scottish Government’s commitment to safeguard our nation’s cultural heritage.”
Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre has received £52,344 to expand and improve its facilities to accommodate its increased footfall due to the rise in tourism on the island. The heritage centre is an essential community hub, hosting a museum, café, library, and shop. The planned improvements include expanding the permanent exhibition space, allowing the museum to display a collection of medieval objects uncovered during archaeological digs on the island led by Argyll Archaeology and community volunteers. The shop, which is an essential source of income for the heritage centre, will also be expanded to increase their offer of local products while improving the shopping experience for visitors.
Lucy Casot, CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland said:
“We are thrilled to support these projects that enhance Scotland’s museums as essential civic spaces. These institutions play an important role in serving their communities, fostering engagement, and preserving Scotland’s cultural heritage for generations to come. This funding will help to ensure they remain integral to the communities they serve.”
Jennifer Baker, Chair of Lismore Historical Society (Comman Eachdraidh Lios Mòr), said:
“We are absolutely delighted to receive this funding. It will kickstart our aspiration to develop this very successful Centre, making it more able to accommodate the rising numbers of tourists to the island and enhance visitor experience.”
Other awardees include Shetland Museum and Archives, which has received £60,000 to increase community outreach activity. Recognising a gap in rural engagement, the museum aims to deliver Shetland’s rich heritage directly into communities across the isles by creating a new learning assistant post. The learning assistant will create a lending library of themed handling boxes using items from the museum’s collection. These boxes will be taken out to schools, community groups, and care facilities, helping to overcome access barriers and foster a deeper sense of place and belonging.
The awarded organisations are ANGUSalive, Shetland Amenity Trust, City of Edinburgh Council, Dundee Heritage Trust, and Lismore Historical Society (Comann Eachdraidh Lios Mòr).
