Funding the future of traditional skills takes National Lottery Heritage Fund investment in Scotland over £1 billion milestone

News Corporate Heritage Press Releases

https://d1hxd0sho1wxko.cloudfront.net/production/imager-transforms-cache/general/430606/l16-funding-nanouncement_a37fc3781d14752ebf9d81956716e1cf.jpg

A new national training centre for Scotland, focused on traditional skills, has secured £3.7m of National Lottery support.

Scotland’s Centre of Excellence for Canals & Traditional Skills will be located near Lock 16 on the banks of the Forth & Clyde Canal in Falkirk.

The Centre, which will see Scottish Canals partner with Historic Environment Scotland, will focus on developing pathways into heritage skills training, volunteering, and employment within the historic environment sector.

A range of activities including school engagement, pre-apprenticeships, modern apprenticeships, as well as upskilling and sector support activities such as ‘train the trainers’ will help develop a template for skills development work across the country.

It marks a significant investment in retaining and passing on traditional craft, engineering and construction skills essential to helping to maintain Scotland’s built and industrial heritage, including thatching, stonemasonry, black-smithery and environmental conservation.

As the National Lottery celebrates its 30th birthday year, this investment also marks a major funding milestone, taking National Lottery Heritage Fund investment in Scotland to more than £1billion.

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “Scotland has a proud heritage of traditional skills, and the valuable work planned at Lock 16 will ensure these skills are preserved, passed on, and used to support our historic environment for generations to come.

“This investment highlights the power of collaboration and demonstrates our shared commitment to empower people with the skills they need for the future.”

Caroline Clark, The National Lottery Heritage Fund Director for Scotland, said: “We know that Scotland urgently needs to preserve and develop its traditional building, craft and rural skills so that it can properly care for its historic buildings and industrial heritage, especially in the context of climate change.

“Thanks to National Lottery players we are very pleased to be able to support this important work, saving our traditional skills from loss. I can’t think of a better project to receive our £1 billionth pound spent in Scotland – marking 30 years of investment in over 5000 projects which have helped to protect and celebrate Scotland's incredible heritage.”

John Paterson Scottish Canals CEO said: “We are delighted to secure this crucial funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The funds will allow us to develop our plans for the site, which forms part of The Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal, to transform this vacant building into Scotland’s Centre of Excellence for Canals & Traditional Skills, a new low-carbon facility with our partners Historic Environment Scotland.

“The project will support workplace learning and apprenticeship training programmes developing new opportunities for the people of Falkirk and beyond.

“The campus will allow us to create new and exciting opportunities for collaborative working, whilst also ensuring Scotland’s canals remain vibrant, relevant and alive for years to come.”

Katerina Brown, Historic Environment Scotland CEO said: “We have been championing Scotland’s traditional skills sector for some time, and this funding is warmly welcomed. It is an important step in helping us to provide further provision for key skills which are at risk without support and investment from the sector and beyond, and to help us on our collective journey to preserve these skills for future generations.

“It is also a unique cross-sector partnership, bringing together teams from the Culture and Transport sectors in support of public sector reform. We very much look forward to working with our partners at Scottish Canals to see the vision for Lock 16, and the new centre, become a reality.”

Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, Leader of Falkirk Council, said: “The funding secured by Scottish Canals through The National Lottery Heritage Fund will help establish Scotland’s Centre of Excellence for Canals & Traditional Skills, a project that will not only support the preservation of traditional skills and the area's industrial heritage, but also regenerate a stretch of the Forth & Clyde Canal into a thriving community and training hub.

“As one of 11 projects that form part of the Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal, the centre will enhance local places, strengthen community connections, and support people to gain new skills, with £4m being allocated from the Deal.

“By bringing disused buildings back into productive use and encouraging even greater use of the canal corridor for active travel and tourism, the project really does have a pivotal role in supporting more sustainable and inclusive growth across the local area."

Scottish Canals has led on significant regeneration along the Forth & Clyde Canal, and the Union Canal which is linked to it by world’s only rotating boat lift, The Falkirk Wheel.

Since the opening of The Falkirk Wheel and the nearby Kelpies and Helix Park heritage led regeneration along the canals has delivered significant investment, employment and outdoor recreation opportunities.

Union Canal Supervisor Billy King joined the organisation more than 26 years ago and was recruited as a waterway operative who would specialise in stone masonry.

He recalls applying for the role, which was then advertised under British Waterways, as the recruitment drive began as part of the re-opening of the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals.

He said: “I came to the organisation as a stonemason. Over the years I’ve carried out emergency works to historic bridges, locks and chambers. I progressed and received a promotion to supervisor working on the Union Canal. There is a real lack of these traditional skills now and I have seen it first-hand decrease over the years. I would encourage anyone thinking about training or getting an apprenticeship in these types of traditional skills to give it a go. I am hopeful that our new centre will help bring a lot of these skills back in-house.”

Chris O’Connell Scottish Canals Heritage Manager said: “The canals of Scotland are more than just waterways they are a physical link to the past laid bare in our archives, historical structures, feats of engineering and our buried archaeological estate. Scottish Canals are committed to being a custodian of this valuable heritage, it is literally embedded in the work we do. By fostering an appreciation for our cultural history, we ensure that our past continues to inform and enrich our understanding of the present and future.”

Notes to editors

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.

heritagefund.org.uk

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund

About Scottish Canals

Scottish Canals is responsible to the Scottish Government for the management and development of five of Scotland’s canals as well as the surrounding estate and The Falkirk Wheel.
Built two hundred years ago to fire the Industrial Revolution, today the canals contribute to the Scottish Government agenda of developing a Greener; Healthier; Smarter; Safer and Stronger; and Wealthier and Fairer Scotland by acting as a catalyst for sustainable economic development, regeneration and tourism; contributing to education, biodiversity, heritage and promoting active living and healthier lifestyles.
Today Scottish Canals is utilising these 18th century assets along with innovative technology to tackle modern problems. Through working with partners to create pioneering systems, Scottish Canals is helping to combat flooding and driving positive transformation in some of Scotland’s most disadvantaged areas.
The Forth & Clyde, Union, Monkland, Caledonian and Crinan canals are recognised as Scheduled Monuments and attract 20 million visits per year. See www.scottishcanals.co.uk for more information.

About Historic Environment Scotland (HES)

We are the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment, a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. It is at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future, investigating and recording architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes across Scotland and caring for more than 300 properties of national importance. We are also the lead on delivering Scotland's strategy for the historic environment, Our Past, Our Future.
Historic Scotland, Scran, Canmore, The National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), The Engine Shed, Stirling Castle, and Edinburgh Castle are sub-brands of HES.
View our press pack and keep up to date by registering to receive our media releases. Already registered? You can unsubscribe at any time by following the unsubscribe link, included in every email.