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Funding for Scottish Fisheries Museum
06/08/2012
Government funding of £67,000 for the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther has been announced by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop.
On a visit to the museum, the Cabinet Secretary said:
“With more than 7,000 miles of coastline and blessed with a bountiful marine larder, Scotland has been a great seafaring nation for generations. Fishing is an integral part of our country’s rich heritage and the industry continues to play a vital role in our economy.
“The Scottish Fisheries Museum tells the story of fishing in Scotland through the ages and houses a nationally recognised collection that includes historic boats, equipment, costumes and an extensive library and photo archive. We need to preserve this for future generations to learn about and enjoy.
“I am therefore delighted to see the improvements that this £60,000 award has enabled the Museum to make. I am confident that this will significantly enhance the Museum’s attractiveness to visitors in this, our Year of Creative Scotland.
“I am also pleased the Scottish Government has been able to contribute £7,000 towards repairing the floating vessel ‘Reaper’, a unique part of our nation’s heritage.”
Simon Hayhow, Director of the Scottish Fisheries Museum, said:
“Scottish Government funding is vital to us in looking after the nationally recognised fishing heritage collection in Anstruther. As an independent trust and charity, it is costly to maintain a collection of over 70,000 artefacts, including 19 wooden boats, of which two are sea-going. The Museum is keen to develop its role across Scotland and the UK in providing access to the collections and in interpreting and displaying them for the public.
“A special grant in 2012 for capital works has allowed us to install new boilers, paint the entire exterior of the large complex of buildings and improve security and insulation. The grant also allowed us to do important work to keep our iconic fishing boat ‘Reaper’ in the water and able to visit ports around the UK, such as the Arbroath Sea Festival at the weekend. We are delighted to have the opportunity to show this work to the Cabinet Secretary and to outline some of our ambitious plans for the future.”
Related information:
Situated on the harbour front in Anstruther, in the heart of the Fife fishing community, the Scottish Fisheries Museum tells the story of fishing in Scotland and its people from earliest times to the present and holds a nationally recognised collection of artefacts.
The Scottish Fisheries Museum received capital funding of £60,000 in 2011-12 for maintenance, repairs and the improvement of facilities for visitors and £7,000 to repair the floating vessel ‘Reaper’.
The Year of Creative Scotland begins on January 1, 2012 and spotlights and celebrates Scotland’s cultural and creative strengths on a world stage. Through a dynamic and exciting year-long programme of activity celebrating our world-class events, festivals, culture and heritage, the year puts Scotland’s culture and creativity in the international spotlight with a focus on cultural tourism and developing the events industry and creative sector in Scotland. More information about the programme can be found here. The Year of Creative Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative led in partnership by EventScotland, VisitScotland, Creative Scotland and VOCAL.