The Staff and Trustees of the MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust, who operate Dunollie Museum, Castle & Grounds in Oban, Argyll are delighted to announce that they have received £114,854 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a year-long project focused on Gardens, Links and Digital (GLAD). The project, which will cost £120,597 in total, will start in March 2022.
Supported through the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Dunollie GLAD will include a packed list of activities, including adding to and upgrading Dunollie’s Historic Woodland Grounds, providing engaging activities for the local community, as well as family days out and activities for a younger age group.
Three members of staff will form the Dunollie GLAD project team, which will include new posts for a Heritage Garden Leader and Digital Content Assistant. Dunollie will also be actively looking for new volunteers to help support and deliver the project.
The MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust is a registered charity set up in 1998 to advance the heritage of the historic castles and collections historically belonging to the family of the MacDougall’s of Dunollie, Oban, Argyll. The Trust manages Dunollie Museum, Castle & Grounds, which is open to the public seasonally, and a busy and extensive community program known as Dunollie Links.
Alison McNab (Chair of Trustees) said “We are very grateful to National Lottery Players for this grant. Dunollie GLAD is one exciting way in which we can begin to rebuild, improve our facilities and get back to working with our local community following the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Emma Sutcliffe (General Manager) added “We can’t wait to get started. There are going to be lots of exciting things happening, so keep an eye on our website and social media pages. We are aiming for the team to get underway from March 2022, just before we open our doors to the public for our first full season since 2019.”
Caroline Clark, Director for Scotland, National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“This is a fantastic approach to revitalising Dunollie Castle’s gardens and grounds and helping people enjoy more of this important heritage site. We are delighted that, thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to provide this significant support to the Trust in their work opening up their woodland grounds and telling the history of the site.”
