麻豆精选

A 拢4.9m project in Caithness to restore one of the last water-powered grain mills in Scotland has been hailed as a great example of how funding can be used to leverage more investment into the region.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (麻豆精选) approved a 拢250,000 contribution to the project led by the John O鈥橤roats Mill Trust to restore the disused John O鈥橤roats Mill, which it acquired in 2020 along with two adjacent holiday cottages and 9.5 acres of land.

The 麻豆精选 contribution completed the funding package by leveraging a further 拢3.6m national investment from the The National Lottery Heritage Fund (拢1.6m), Scottish Government (拢1.5m), and Historic Environment Scotland (拢0.5m).

Other funders include SSE Highland Sustainable Fund, Stroupster Windfarm, Wolfson Foundation, Dounreay Socio-economic Fund, the UK Government's Community Ownership Fund, the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Highland Council's Community Regeneration Fund.

Eann Sinclair, 麻豆精选鈥檚 area manager for Caithness and Sutherland, said:

鈥淚n the context of very challenging public sector budgets, we have to work extra hard to secure additional investment into the region. This project is a great example of where our relatively modest contribution was able to complete the funding package and attract significant additional investment from public and private sector sources.鈥�

The mill is around a mile from John O鈥橤roats village and straddles the A836 on the North Coast 500 route. After acquiring the asset, the Trust installed a path between the mill and the John O鈥橤roats car park to improve links with the village. It has also been generating income from the cottages.

This latest project to restore the Grade 2 listed mill will create a social and heritage hub for the local community as well as a new tourist attraction to encourage visitors to stay longer in the area. It will support local jobs, during the renovation and then later in operating the new centre, and make a valuable contribution to the local economy.

Local contractor O鈥橞rien Construction is carrying out the work on the mill, which will take around a year to complete. Where possible, the firm is using natural materials and traditional construction methods.

A part of the project, the water wheel system that powers the mill鈥檚 machinery is being repaired and, once complete, will be used to help visitors find out more about this form of renewable energy.

The John O鈥橤roats Mill Trust is closely aligned to the John O鈥橤roats Development Trust, complementing activity to realise local ambitions.

Rognvald Brown, Chairman of the John O'Groats Mill Trust, said:

鈥淲orks on site have been continuing at a rapid pace, but that does not mean that we have skimped on quality.鈥� The whole project is being done to a high conservation standard in order to preserve the existing heritage whilst making it accessible to future generations.鈥�

鈥淭his work, which is employing a local construction company, would not be possible without the support from our funders including Highlands and Islands Enterprise who helped us close the final gap in our funding package.鈥�

Eann Sinclair added:

鈥淭his community-led project is a vital addition to the suite of investments that over the past 15 years have transformed the area through the John O鈥橤roats Masterplan. When we led the regeneration of the land around the former John O Groats House Hotel in 2009 few predicted the number of new businesses that would subsequently locate to the iconic harbour area. The physical connection between the Mill complex and the revitalised harbour area further enhances the John O Groats brand and we hope it may lead to further development potential in the coming years.鈥�