National Trust for Scotland's chief executive Philip Long promises future investment at Culloden Battlefield
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The head of a major conservation charity has promised future investment at Culloden Battlefield and visitor centre near Inverness.
Philip Long, the National Trust for Scotland's chief executive, was speaking following the publication of a new 10-year strategy for the organisation.
Although the historical battle site was not specifically mentioned in the document Mr Long said it was important to protect the area for future generations.
He said: "We are very proud of the visitor centre and it is well used, of course it has been a little quieter over the past couple of years because of the pandemic."
Mr Long said it had always attracted people from around the world when they come to Scotland and added: "We would certainly like to invest in Culloden in the future and make sure the story that we tell there is up to date.
"I hope that over the period of the strategy we will continue to make investments at Culloden to care for that quite extraordinary place.
"Of course what we also want to do is to make sure that the battlefield and the wider environment is protected and we will be continuing to stand up for better planning regulations around the protection of battlefields."
The strategy outlined four projects which the trust is planning across Scotland – including what is described as a visitor gateway which will be built at Corrieshalloch Gorge.
He said: "Corrieshalloch Gorge is the most extraordinary geological phenomena where basically a water cut gorge runs through the countryside just right by the main road to Ullapool – of course the gorge came first.
"It really is an extraordinary thing to see and it has been an interesting place for people to visit for a very long time. There is a wonderful suspension bridge across the gorge that has been there since I think the late 19th Century."
Mr Long said it was hoped that the project would be completed later this year and added: "At the moment we are on site constructing a new visitor gateway building, if you like, that provides better and safer parking and some facilities for people to have a break at that point and essentially to find out more about the natural environment there."
The gorge is one of the deepest and most spectacular gorges of its type in the British Isles. The project aims to improve access with the much needed and sensitively designed building.
This project is supported by the Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund which is led by NatureScot and funded through the European Regional Development Fund.
As well as outlining the four specific projects the 10-year strategy's aims include:
• A commitment to become carbon negative by 2031 as Scotland’s largest independent conservation charity;
• Expanding the number of people welcomed to trust sites across Scotland to more than six million people per year by 2032;
• An investment of £38 million in the care of the trust’s places within the next three years, and £100 million across the lifetime of the strategy;
• A commitment to increasing the trust’s learning work, through developing skills and new learning and research programmes.
Mr Long said: “We’ve begun an exciting new chapter for the National Trust for Scotland, building on the experience, knowledge and skills we’ve gathered over the last 90 years, throughout which time our charity has received phenomenal support from its members and many others.
"Everyone can benefit from Scotland’s heritage and from the work of the trust, and in the years ahead we want to involve as many people as possible in this.
"Our new strategy is a response to all that our charity has achieved over its long history, and to the current health, economic and environmental challenges which affect everyone.”
