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Ardersier Village Hall Funding Donations Made:
Press Release:
Book Sales Donation of £6,500 Made To Ardersier Village Hall
THE chairwoman of Ardersier's run down War Memorial Hali has attended a village halls regional summit in order to find out how similar facilities survive.
Eleanor Ross, who has been in the post for five years, was joined by representatives of village halls in Dochgarroch, Kilmorack, Croy, as well as members of Cromarty Victoria Hall and Strathdearn Hall, Tomatin, at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Village Halls Summit in Aviemore.
Rural affairs minister Richard Lochhead was the keynote speaker at the event which featured case studies and discussion on tine future of halls across the country.
"The idea was to go along and meet other people in the same situation as us," said Miss Ross, of Stuart Street, Ardersier.
"We then exchanged ideas to see how others make money available.
"It's important because the hall has been part of the village for nearly 100 years."
The hall fund, which has received a cash injection of £6500 so far from historian George Grant, has benefited through the SCVO Millennium Commission's 21st Century Halls project which funded the building and refurbishment of
55 halls throughout Scotland.
Plans to demolish and rebuild Ardersier's hall, priced at around £550,000, were abandoned in favour of renovating the present building for £200,000.
Miss Ross praised Mr Grant's work and generosity, after he donated the proceeds from a book he has written about the village towards renovation costs.
So far £40,000 has been raised by the Hall Fund Committee and Mr Grant, who was born and bred in Ardersier, was pleased to add to the pot from sales of his book "Pictorial Memories of Ardersier" — a compiled archive of historic photographs and information charting the history of Ardersier and many of its characters.
"I'm more than delighted with the response and I'm very grateful to everyone who sponsored, stocked and bought the book" he said.
Mr Grant (60), now of Scorguie Road, Inverness is an electrician with Highland Council and was assisted in the production of the book by his cousin Elizabeth Gilchrist.
A range of sponsors donated funds to aid publication, with Culloden and Ardersier Ward Councillors contributing some £1500.
The book provides a comprehensive pictorial history spanning 127 years, tracing herring fishing in the l9th century, through both world wars and on to the oil rig constructions of the 1970s, alongside more recent images,
Mr Grant's book is available, at Fort George Museum, Ardersier Service Point, McColl's in Ardersier and Kingsmills Stores in Inverness, or online by clicking this link
The eighty four page interesting book packed with historic photographs, stories and amusing anecdotes relating to the historic village of Ardersier is now available for purchase.
With ALL sales proceeds going to the Hall Fund.
Is your photograph in the book?
You may be surprised, as a large number of group photographs have been provided covering school, sporting, war time, Red Cross and Church events through time from around the late 1800's, together with fishermen, entertainers and local personalities.
