COUNCIL'S ROLE IN RECORDING HERITAGE OF CHURCHES
THE importance of recording the heritage of churches in Angus has been recognised by Angus Council.
The local authority has entered into a partnership with Scottish Church Heritage Research to deliver a project which will record all places of worship in the area.
Members of the council's neighbourhood services committee agreed last Thursday to enter into a partnership with SCHR to support the Places of Worship survey in the Angus area, and to give them the use of an office in Forfar Library for the duration of the project in lieu of rent.
This is on the condition that SCHR deposits a copy of the database in Angus Archives.
The Scottish Church Heritage Research is an independent organisation whose aims are to advance research and the understanding of the heritage of places of worship in Scotland.
The Scottish Churches Inventory was an early project of SCHR which produced a database of the churches in Scotland. The project was based at Restenneth Library, supported by the Hunter Foundation and Angus District Council.
This project developed into the Places of Worship project, supported by Historic Scotland which has just completed a pilot study of the places of worship in Fife.
In his report which went before the committee, Ron Ashton, director of neighbourhood services explained SCHR now intends to extend the work into other areas of Scotland, recording all churches and other places of worship past or present.
He said: "With the considerable and steady decline in the number of churches in Scotland it is imperative that these buildings are fully recorded before important aspects of our heritage are lost forever.
"SCHR hopes to start work in the Angus, wider Tayside and Aberdeenshire areas in the next year and to that end has secured funding from Historic Scotland and is currently in negotiation with Leader to obtain match-funding.
"SCHR has written to us requesting our support and to this end it is proposed that we make an office in Forfar Library available to them in which to base their operations over the next three years."
The office was previously used as the base for the Scottish Traditions of Dance Project over a three-year partnership, then the Tayside Museums Access and Learning Project over a three and a half year project which finished in 2008.
Mr Ashton continued: "In lieu of rent, SCHR will provide copies of all Angus data and images gathered which will be deposited in our archive. They will also work with teachers to help prepare education packs of interest to local schools, holding events such as talks and exhibitions.
"SCHR also intends to work with volunteers via the Angus Volunteer Centre, local history societies and churches as well as exploring ways of offering training to unemployed young people."
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Weather for Kirriemuir
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light rain
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