£1m in funding announced for Scottish coastline restoration
The Solway Coast and Marine Landscape Connections Project (Scamp) will receive £1.4 million in funding, which will see natural habitats restored along the Dumfries and Galloway coast.
The Scamp scheme will be delivered over 10 years, and five key habitats, including seagrass meadows, native oyster reefs, salt marsh, coastal woodland, and sand dunes, will be prioritised.
The project will also see 120 miles of new coastal trails created, with 10 seaside 'gateway' sites developed.
REA MORE: John Swinney defends 'two-horse race' comments after by-election loss to Labour
Panels along the coast and trails will also be installed, allowing people to learn more about the Solway Firth and the surrounding area.
Karen Morley, Scamp programme manager, welcomed the funding, adding it will help the team make a 'real impact' in their restoration efforts.
'It is rare for a nature restoration project to attract this level of investment over a prolonged period of time,' she said.
'But it is also essential for this ambitious innovative programme of work to be delivered by ourselves and our partners and ensure we can make a real restorative impact on our Solway land and seascape.'
Scamp is the first project to secure support through the National Lottery Heritage Fund's (NLHF) £150m Landscape Connections initiative.
The project is the first of around 20 across the UK which will benefit from the funding aimed at boosting nature recovery, helping rural economies, and attracting more visitors.
NLHF chief executive Eilish McGuinness said it was the 'perfect project' to start the initiative.
(Image: Cumbria Tourism)
She said: 'The Solway Firth's rich natural heritage has supported communities along its length since the earliest settlement.
'The heritage of millennia of human habitation are reflected in the landscape and history of the people, places and communities.
'This will be enhanced with National Lottery player support to deliver large-scale, long-term, meaningful change for the environment and its people, furthering our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for, and sustained for everyone, now and in the future."
Dumfries and Galloway Council is leading the Scamp initiative alongside a list of local partners.
Council leader Gail MacGregor said: 'With a potential total investment of almost £8m from the heritage fund this commitment demonstrates the huge potential of our Solway Coast to become a leading light in coastal and marine nature restoration, playing its part in helping with the nature and climate crisis.
'By allowing our coastal and marine environment to thrive we will be bringing opportunities for learning, green jobs, wellbeing and nature-related economic development to our communities.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
2 days ago
- The National
£1m in funding announced for Scottish coastline restoration
The Solway Coast and Marine Landscape Connections Project (Scamp) will receive £1.4 million in funding, which will see natural habitats restored along the Dumfries and Galloway coast. The Scamp scheme will be delivered over 10 years, and five key habitats, including seagrass meadows, native oyster reefs, salt marsh, coastal woodland, and sand dunes, will be prioritised. The project will also see 120 miles of new coastal trails created, with 10 seaside 'gateway' sites developed. REA MORE: John Swinney defends 'two-horse race' comments after by-election loss to Labour Panels along the coast and trails will also be installed, allowing people to learn more about the Solway Firth and the surrounding area. Karen Morley, Scamp programme manager, welcomed the funding, adding it will help the team make a 'real impact' in their restoration efforts. 'It is rare for a nature restoration project to attract this level of investment over a prolonged period of time,' she said. 'But it is also essential for this ambitious innovative programme of work to be delivered by ourselves and our partners and ensure we can make a real restorative impact on our Solway land and seascape.' Scamp is the first project to secure support through the National Lottery Heritage Fund's (NLHF) £150m Landscape Connections initiative. The project is the first of around 20 across the UK which will benefit from the funding aimed at boosting nature recovery, helping rural economies, and attracting more visitors. NLHF chief executive Eilish McGuinness said it was the 'perfect project' to start the initiative. (Image: Cumbria Tourism) She said: 'The Solway Firth's rich natural heritage has supported communities along its length since the earliest settlement. 'The heritage of millennia of human habitation are reflected in the landscape and history of the people, places and communities. 'This will be enhanced with National Lottery player support to deliver large-scale, long-term, meaningful change for the environment and its people, furthering our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for, and sustained for everyone, now and in the future." Dumfries and Galloway Council is leading the Scamp initiative alongside a list of local partners. Council leader Gail MacGregor said: 'With a potential total investment of almost £8m from the heritage fund this commitment demonstrates the huge potential of our Solway Coast to become a leading light in coastal and marine nature restoration, playing its part in helping with the nature and climate crisis. 'By allowing our coastal and marine environment to thrive we will be bringing opportunities for learning, green jobs, wellbeing and nature-related economic development to our communities.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Solway coastline secures major restoration boost
The Solway coastline in south west Scotland has secured a major funding boost to help with its conservation, restoration and is the first project to secure support through the National Lottery Heritage Fund's (NLHF) £150m Landscape Connections Solway Coast and Marine Landscape Connections Project - Scamp for short - will receive £1.4m to shape plans which will help unlock a further £ will work with the local community to deliver an extensive programme of habitat restoration right along the Dumfries and Galloway coast. The project is the first of about 20 across the UK which will benefit from the funding aimed at boosting nature recovery, helping rural economies and attracting more chief executive Eilish McGuinness said it was the "perfect project" to get things started."The Solway Firth's rich natural heritage has supported communities along its length since the earliest settlement," she said."The heritage of millennia of human habitation are reflected in the landscape and history of the people, places and communities."This will be enhanced with National Lottery player support to deliver large-scale, long-term, meaningful change for the environment and its people, furthering our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for, and sustained for everyone, now and in the future." Dumfries and Galloway Council is leading the Scamp initiative alongside a long list of local Gail MacGregor said: "With a potential total investment of almost £8m from the heritage fund this commitment demonstrates the huge potential of our Solway Coast to become a leading light in coastal and marine nature restoration, playing its part in helping with the nature and climate crisis."By allowing our coastal and marine environment to thrive we will be bringing opportunities for learning, green jobs, wellbeing and nature-related economic development to our communities." Karen Morley, Scamp programme manager, said it welcomed the funding."It is rare for a nature restoration project to attract this level of investment over a prolonged period of time," she said."But it is also essential for this ambitious innovative programme of work to be delivered by ourselves and our partners and ensure we can make a real restorative impact on our Solway land and seascape." The Scamp scheme will be delivered over 10 years including a two-year development key habitats will be prioritised - seagrass meadows, native oyster reefs, saltmarsh, coastal woodland and sand dunes. It will also see 120 miles (195km) of new coastal trail created with 10 coastal "gateway" sites along the coast and trails will allow people to learn more about the Solway Firth and the surrounding area.
The National
3 days ago
- The National
Orkney's 5000-year-old Tomb of the Eagles to re-open after £101k grant
Located at the top of South Ronaldsay cliffs, the Tomb of the Eagles is a stone age sites and a key feature of Orkney's ancient archaeology. It was forced to close to visitors as a result of the pandemic and subsequent retirement of the owners. Local campaigners have been working , and with the support of the family that owns the site, to take it into community ownership and reopen it to visitors. Now they have secured £101,607 support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. READ MORE: Re-opening date announced for independent Scottish cinema forced to close doors The news comes just a few weeks after South Ronaldsay and Burray Development Trust announced they had secured Scottish Land Fund investment. 'Final piece to the puzzle' The Tomb of the Eagles, or Isbister Chambered Cairn, is a Neolithic chambered tomb located on a cliff edge at Isbister on South Ronaldsay. The community are seeking to "improve the visitor centre, renovate the museum displays, shop and toilet facilities, and provide a snack and hot drinks service" as well as upgrade the pathways around the site. The site has been in the care of and for many years was operated by a local family, the Simisons. They have worked with and supported the South Ronaldsay and Burray Development Trust to deliver the ambition of the community reopening Tomb of the Eagles. Freda Norquay of the Simison Partnership, the current owners of the site, said: 'We are so pleased that the Tomb will now reopen and forge its future under community ownership and feel that this is a fitting reflection of the Simison legacy. It is a way forward that we fully support, and we believe that our parents, Ronnie and Morgan Simison would have endorsed." READ MORE: Scottish port receives £24 million in funding to expand dock Kathleen MacLeod, also from the Simison Partnership, added: 'We can't thank people like Joe Horrocks, Steve Sankey and Cameron Taylor enough for the hours that they have put in on this project, and all the support shown from the local community. The National Lottery Heritage Fund award is the icing on the cake, and it is wonderful that the Tomb will now reopen after all these years.' Ruth Owen, chair of the South Ronaldsay and Burray Development Trust, said: 'We are delighted at the award of just over £100,000 to the Development Trust for the purposes of reopening the Tomb of the Eagles. Not only does this provide essential funding that will bridge the final budget gap required to acquire the site, but importantly it provides the necessary match funding to set up staffing next year, for our first full season. 'This really is the final piece of the funding jigsaw to acquire and re-establish the site, and we can now say with confidence that the Tomb of the Eagles will reopen to the public. We would like to thank the National Lottery players and indeed all our funding partners for giving the community this opportunity.' Caroline Clark, The National Lottery Heritage Fund director for Scotland, said: 'Our support will enable community ownership and management of the Tomb of the Eagles, meaning locals and visitors from across the world can once more experience an important part of Orkney's incredible heritage while directly benefitting the local community. 'It is a wonderful new chapter for a very precious place which has been part of South Ronaldsay's story for 5000 years.'
