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Kirkconnel Parish Heritage Society |
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Wednesday, 15 October 2003 |
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Kirkconnel Parish Heritage Society is a recognised charity and a company limited by guarantee. It was set up in 1997 by a group of elderly people who all lived in the village. With community support the Society has advanced from its original aims of recording and archiving the history and heritage of the parish to include wider initiatives that benefit the whole area.
Overview
PROJECT SUMMARY
The Society has purchased premises located on the main street of the village and organised concerts and Open Nights for the community. Training sessions on basic computing for elderly residents together with structured training for staff and volunteers are also provided. Several projects covering environmental improvements, with pathways to give easy access to the countryside and links to heritage and history sites within the parish, have led to an increase in membership and stature. The Society is now widely recognised as a successful group designed to benefit the local community.
KEY PARTNERS
The local Community Development Worker from Dumfries & Galloway Council was a crucial aid and provided essential support and guidance to the Committee during the development of the Society. The following organisations have also been invaluable in providing both advice and funding:
NCVS - helped in drawing up the Constitution
Scottish Natural Heritage - provided advice and funding on environmental projects
Solway Heritage - provided advice and help on both natural and structural environment and provided funding through the Landfill Tax
Scottish Enterprise Dumfries & Galloway - provided advice and funding
The Department of Environment & Infrastructure Dumfries & Galloway - appointed an Access Officer to help with advice and funding and to liaise between the Society and the major landowner, Buccleuch Estates Ltd
Paths For All Scotland - provided advice and funding
Buccleuch Estates Ltd - the major landowner in the Kirkconnel area
FUNDERS
The Society has been very successful at securing both capital and revenue funding. Major Grants have been received from:
The Heritage Lottery Fund - £75,000 to employ a Countryside Ranger and undertake environmental work
The Coalfields Regeneration Trust - to purchase and renovate premises
The Scottish Executive, Dumfries & Galloway Council - £46,500 to employ a Countryside Ranger
European Structural Funds
Dumfries & Galloway Council - £8,000 for core funding
Paths For All Scotland
The Landfill Tax - administered by Solway Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage - Funding and Advice on Environmental Issues
The Society also generates a small income from the sale of books, postcards, a video, a calendar and a CD-ROM. These items are sold from the Heritage Base, local shops and through the members newsletter. Membership fees and the photocopying of photographs from the collection for members of the public also brings in a small annual income.
THEMATIC CRITERIA
Dumfries and Galloway ; Local amenities; open space; education
Plan
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
In the late 1950s and early 1960s Kirkconnel had been a thriving mining community with a population of 5,500. The closure of the colliery in the 1960s created a fragmented community as families moved away to find work elsewhere. The population dwindled, businesses closed and by the 1990s it was clear that the village was dying. (Current population of Kirkconnel is 2,300). A group of eight residents, all retired, decided that they wanted to record the village history to hand on to future generations. They were inspired by a collection of over 1200 photographs of Kirkconnel and its people. This collection - showing village life over the last hundred years - was gathered by a local resident
OUTPUTS
Outcomes that the Society did not predict when starting were:
- Creation of three new jobs in an area of economic decline
- Renovation of an empty shop unit in Kirkconnel to create the Heritage Base
- Increased community activity and community participation
- Development of links between the older residents of the village and the younger
FUTURE STEPS
The Society has its own premises and paid staff. It is already planning projects spanning the next 3-5 years. On completion of those it will consult with the local community and review its position.
Future plans include:
- Encourage younger people to serve on the volunteer committee and replace the current committee which is composed of retired people
- Extend the riverside walk to link up with other local communities
- Explore the option of developing a cycle path
- Regenerate a recognised right of way between Kirkconnel and Wanlockhead where there is a lead mining museum. This would open up new opportunities for walkers and encourage tourists to visit the area. The Society has been approached by Dumfries & Galloway Tourist Board to investigate the possibility of integrating local initiative projects into Tourist Industry led initiatives.
- Explore the possibility of selling items via the website
Progress
The eight residents formed a volunteer committee and established the Kirkconnel Parish Heritage Society as a recognised charity in 1997 to preserve the history and heritage of Kirkconnel.
It was established as a membership organisation with a subscription of £2 per year. In its first year 150 people joined the Society and this inspired the Committee to produce a book of village photographs for members and others to purchase. The market for the book was wider than expected as, in addition to the Society's members and Kirkconnel residents buying copies, orders came in from local libraries and museums, and from people whose families had once lived in the village but moved away. This success encouraged the Society to undertake the huge task of recording all the gravestone inscriptions in the local churchyard to create a database. The Society put the database on to a CD-ROM and it was purchased and used by local history societies, libraries and museums. All of this work was undertaken by the volunteer committee and their friends and families.
The Society then started to seek out new projects which would promote Kirkconnel and its residents. Proceeds from the sale of the book, CD-ROM and also a video, was the Society's only income, so that raising funds became a priority. However, when it came to accessing funding for the first project they faced nothing but rejection. It was at this point that the Society made a vital decision. They decided to expand their Constitution to incorporate the word environment along with history and heritage. This seemingly small amendment opened funding doors previously closed to them. They have since accessed funding from a wide range of statutory and private bodies.
The support and involvement of the local community has been vital to the success of the Society which holds open meetings in Kirkconnel every month to report on progress and discuss future projects and finances. The public is welcome to raise concerns or voice opinions at those meetings. In 2000 the Society raised enough funds to purchase vacant premises in Kirkconnel and establish its heritage base and begin employing staff for the first time. The Society now has three staff members - a Project Co-ordinator and two Countryside Rangers.
Review
ACHIEVEMENTS
The main achievements of the Society are:
- A thriving membership, with 260 members currently
- Production and sale of books, calendars, CD-ROMs, postcards
- Creation of databases for over 1200 photographs and1500 gravestone inscriptions
- Erection of commemorative cairns and interpretation boards
- Creation of a scenic riverbank walk
- Creation of a network of paths connecting heritage sites
- Restoration of an 18th century sluice
- Purchase of premises to establish a Heritage Base
- Creation of three full-time jobs
- Creation of own website
- Recognition as the lead organisation in the environmental regeneration of the Upper Nithsdale region of Dumfries & Galloway
- Recipient of a 2003 Scottish Enterprise Award
Beneficiaries have included:
- Volunteers - through serving on the committee and working on the projects
- Local people - through the enhanced environment, involvement in community activities, access to community facilities at the Heritage Base
- Elderly people - access to ITC training being offered at the Heritage Base
- Local school children - through involvement in wild flower and tree-planting, nature studies and history talks
- Unemployed people - through learning new skills whilst working on the restoration projects
- Wider community - through the enhanced environment, access to the archived information and artefacts
- Libraries, museums, history societies - through access to the archived material and artefacts
MEASURING ACHIEVEMENTS
The Society measures its success through:
- Feedback from the community at the public meetings
- Numbers of people visiting the Heritage Base
- Membership numbers and feedback from members
- Continued demand and sale of merchandise
- Feedback from external agencies during site visits
- Wider recognition - being asked to undertake evaluations for external agencies, receiving the Scottish Enterprise award.
PROCESS (local involvement)
The key local people were the original eight residents of Kirkconnel who decided to form the Society. They brought with them a wide range of skills that helped in the shaping of the Society and, crucially, they were all retired so had the time to spare to undertake the work.
The residents of Kirkconnel Parish who attend the monthly public meetings (average attendance 40 people) are also key to the Society.
The volunteer committee which runs the Society is comprised entirely of local people. Its members are elected annually at a public meeting
Local people are invited to attend monthly public meetings where they can voice concerns and raise questions
Local agencies and community groups are welcome to attend the public meetings
Membership is encouraged by the opportunities for volunteers to get involved in projects; seeing the benefits that the Society has brought to the village; the fact that the heritage centre is open every weekday, offering a photocopying service and ICT training.
The Society has worked in partnership with the local school to create community events for Kirkconnel residents
LESSONS
Involve the community right from the start
Have a committee which can devote the time and has the determination and skills needed
Ensure your project fits the criteria and thinking of funding agencies to open funding doors
Be willing to learn and take advice
Work within your limits and make sure the targets you set are achievable as funders will hold you to them
The volunteer committee has learned to work as a team rather than as eight separate individuals. They realised the need to present a professional image to external agencies and have acquired the necessary skills.
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