31 October 2015

Callander Landscape Partnership secures £1.5m Heritage Lottery Fund support to connect people with the countryside in historic geological “gap”

The Callander Landscape Partnership has been awarded an earmarked grant¹ of £1.5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) through its Landscape Partnership (LP) programme² for the ‘Callander's Pass - Mind The Gap’ project, it was announced today.

 

The community-led project is the result of collaboration between local community organisations, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, Scottish Natural Heritage(SNH), Forestry Commission Scotland and Stirling Council. It will use Callander’s unique position on the Highland Boundary Fault to establish the Stirlingshire town as the ‘Outdoor Capital of the National Park’ including the creation of visitor interpretation, a cycling and walking network, and training opportunities in the magnificent surrounding countryside .                        

The £1.5m funding including £119,600 for the development phase, will see local community aspirations originally envisioned at the 2011 Callander planning ‘charrette’³ come to fruition in more than 30 individual projects aimed at better connecting the town, its people and its visitors to the very special surrounding  landscape.

Callander, the largest town in the National Park, and the surrounding area’s position in the gap (or “pass”) between the Lowlands and Highlands and at the eastern most corner of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, means it is uniquely positioned to service the needs of visitors to the National Park and promote outdoor recreation in the Highlands beyond.   

A project team will be based in Callander and local communities will be heavily involved in the creation of visitor interpretation with the potential to reach a huge audience including those who travel to and through the town.

The heritage of Callander’s Pass is a fascinating mix of geology, wildlife and culture. The seismic events that created the area’s distinctive landscape also gave rise to settlements whose stories the Callander Landscape Partnership felt would forever be lost without action. Callander is also an important area for the native red squirrel which is threatened by the spread of the introduced grey squirrel.                      

Key aims of the project are to:

• Develop a more co-ordinated approach to heritage conservation
• Improve and connect wildlife habitats and heritage
• Create a richly woven story of Callander’s Pass and its people and provide exciting ways to access that story
• Encourage locals and visitors to engage with the area’s heritage
• Contribute to a sustainable economy and community in and around Callander

Paul Prescott who is Chair of the Callander Landscape Partnership said: “We are thrilled that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given us this support. It’s wonderful news for the people of Callander and gives us an opportunity to preserve and enhance our heritage for the benefit of residents and visitors alike.”

Lucy Casot, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: “Our species and habitats are under constant threat yet they make a massive contribution to our economy. HLF is delighted to make this award as it will make a real difference to the Callander area and the people that live there. Thanks to National Lottery players, nature-based tourism can be developed without detriment to the beautiful surroundings and people will reconnect with, and appreciate the nature that makes Scotland so special.”

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment, Richard Lochhead said:

“It is great to see that the Callander Landscape Partnership has been awarded £1.5 million to develop a historic gateway between Lowlands and Highlands.

“I am delighted to see the power of community and partnership working coming together in this project that will develop the cultural and natural heritage within the iconic landscape of Scotland’s first National Park, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs. This project will provide job and training opportunities, benefits for local communities, as well as the obvious benefits for the environment.

“The wellbeing and prosperity of Scotland depends on the health of our environment. As set out in the Scotland’s Biodiversity Route Map to 2020, it is vital that action is taken now to care for, protect and restore fragile habitats and species. This investment will allow substantial work to be carried out which will support the aims of the 2020 Challenge for Biodiversity.”

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Chief Executive, Gordon Watson, said: “This is a wonderful example of a community taking forward a vision and putting it into action and I’d like to pay tribute to everyone involved for the magnificent effort to get the project to this stage. It is partnership working at its best and the benefits will be felt by Callander’s community and visitors for many years to come.”        

Iain Rennick, SNH’s Forth Unit Manager, added: “We’re really delighted to be able to support this successful HLF bid. This new investment to promote and improve access to the area around Callander will help people enjoy this special landscape in years to come, as well as helping to protect the unique wildlife that lives there."

Notes

A Landscape Partnership (LP) earmarked grant means that money has been set aside by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the scheme in question. The applicant then progresses to the second round and submits a further, fully-developed application to secure the full award.  This early level of strong financial commitment means that LPs can build strong partnerships with the assurance that funding for their scheme is in place provided that their final proposals fully meet the programme's criteria.  

² HLF’s Landscape Partnerships are helping bring together members of the community as well as local, regional, and national organisations to deliver schemes which benefit some of the UK’s most outstanding landscapes and rural communities.  Grants range from £100,000 up to £3m.  The next closing date for LP applications is May 2015. 

³ A ‘charrette’ is a design-led workshop where the community and relevant agencies (roads, education, economic development, greenspace etc.) get together with planners and architects to help build a vision for that community. 

To find out more about the Scottish Government’s ‘charrette mainstreaming’ programme and the Callander charrette see:

www.creatingplacesscotland.org

www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/living/callander-charrette

Source Url: http://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/looking-after/mind-the-gap/menu-id-483.html