Wester Loch Ewe Trust (WLET) is pleased to report that it has secured funding of £19,548 from the Scottish Government’s Communities Recovery Fund, via Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), to support The Old School, as local community centre for Cove, Inverasdale and Naast, during the COVID-19 crisis.

HIE is co-ordinating the Communities Recovery Fund in the Highlands and Islands, on behalf of the Scottish Government, for all eligible community organisations. Its purpose is to help implementing changes to reintroduce the delivery of existing services and activities that have been suspended or severely reduced because of COVID-19 and/or deliver new services identified as a priority by communities as a result of COVID-19.

The Communities Recovery funding has provided WLET with revenue to allow 2 new staff posts – a Community Co-ordinator and a Janitor/Cleaner – to be established. Initially, these were to run from March until the end of May 2021. However, we are pleased to say that we have also secured funding from the Scottish Government’s Adapt and Thrive Fund which will allow WLET to extend these posts until the end of December 2021. This additional funding (£40,854) will also help us to purchase stocks and supplies to make the premises COVID-safe, and to make any physical adaptations of the building and grounds that may be helpful and/or necessary.

The Community Co-ordinator will develop and oversee a programme of activities. There will be communication and consultation to enable The Old School to reconnect with the community and visitors to the area, and to ensure all health and safety measures are met.

We look forward to welcoming the community and visitors again when Scottish Government Guidelines permit.

LATEST NEWS:

We are pleased to report that we have filled the Community Co-ordinator role.

Members will already know that WLET welcomed Fiona Begg in December 2020 to provide management and coordination services for us. Along with Fiona, the Board is working hard with Benjamin Tindall Architects and other members of the design team to finalise drawings for the Building Warrant to ensure that our Phase 1 extension and upgrade is future-proofed to allow progression in the future to Phase 2 and further phases to provide the flexibility of accommodation and revenue streams for the future.

You will recall that Phase 1 of this capital project is financed through funding from The Lottery, The Prince’s Countryside Fund and the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund. We are in regular communication with these funders regarding our progress.

When passing The Old School, you may have been aware of our beautiful new, almost completed, shed. This was built with WLET funds raised through appeals to private funders and will provide welcome storage when completed in the near future. When weather permits, MacRae Brothers will finish their work on the extended car park, also funded by gifts from private funders during the last financial year.

Together with our volunteer fundraiser, the Board is preparing applications to help fund necessary changes to how we will work within the building to allow everyone to feel safe when we can can again use The Old School. We are also seeking funding for 2 part-time posts - a Janitor/Cleaner and a Community Services Coordinator, plus funding to hire an outside structure to allow the community to meet once again when Government regulations allow.

Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic, we seem no closer to being able to open The Old School in springtime. We are hoping to hold the AGM in February 2021 and will be letting all members know the relevant details as soon as possible.

The Trustees are very pleased to welcome Fiona Begg who is providing WLET with management and coordination services for the building project to provide a new kitchen, new toilets, and various other improvements in The Old School.

Fiona has a BA in Architecture and valuable experience in steering community projects to completion. Amongst other building projects on the west coast, she has provided services to manage the construction of the community hall, shop and cafe on the south side of Skye for the Camuscross & Duisdale Initiative.

Due to the current situation with regard to Covid-19, the necessary physical distancing measures and other Government restrictions, and in order to help keep our volunteers and community safe, Wester Loch Ewe Trust has reluctantly decided not to open the Old School this season.

Everyone involved would like to thank our community and all our regular summer visitors for their support. We do hope to welcome you all again when circumstances permit, perhaps later in the year.

Thanks to all who came along to support our pop-up Tearoom at the Old School, Inverasdale on Friday 21st February. You are much appreciated! Thanks to all who took part in our competitions: Isaac Stephen won the llama and Cath O’Hara won the puffin. We raised £301 for our funds and had a lovely afternoon. Thanks to all involved, especially our talented knitter, Lil, who donated the llama and puffin.

We were planning to hold a soup lunch on Wednesday 18th March, but this was cancelled due to the current coronavirus emergency. We hope that the Tearoom will be open as usual on Wednesdays and Fridays beginning Friday 1st May. The season ends on Friday 30th October.

We had our AGM in late November – see gallery pictures here .... Our long-serving Vice Chair, Mary Rogers, stood down for family reasons and we welcomed Jackie Stephen onto the WLET Board.

The annual Hogmanay Gathering was a very enjoyable and successful occasion bringing together local people of all ages. We may manage another this year.

As always, we welcome anyone who would wish to volunteer help in any way. You don’t have to have a lot of time – an hour can make a difference.

Our special Christmas afternoon in the Old Schoolhouse Tearoom on Friday 6th December was very successful – over 60 people attended and we raised over £260 for our funds! Many thanks to all who came along – we do appreciate your support. We would like to say a special thank you to Santa’s Elf for helping to make the opening so enjoyable for everyone, especially our younger visitors.

Here at the Old School, Inverasdale we’ve had a lovely 2019 summer season with another substantial increase in footfall and income against the previous year’s. We extend thanks to everyone who has helped to make such a success - particularly those who bake, help out in the Tearoom and in the Exhibition Rooms, along with all those individuals and organisations who have contributed in any way.

The jigsaw donated by Gairloch Heritage Museum has proved a big hit with everyone who visits the School Exhibition – both children and adults!

This rearranged schoolroom area has been a great hit with our younger visitors as you can see from the photograph of a young visitor working hard at her desk!

The ‘Land Fit for Heroes’ exhibition kindly loaned by Gairloch Heritage Museum has been much enjoyed by visitors who spent time studying the information together with that in the ‘Gairloch Role of Honour’ in our display cabinets and booklets documenting the Poolewe Burial Ground.

WLET has been invited to Round 2 of the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund for match funding towards the proposed new kitchen extension and porch, funding having already been secured through the National Lottery Community Fund and the Prince’s Countryside Fund. We will hear the outcome of the RCGF application in January 2020, at the earliest.

Thank you to:
• Steelite for the wonderful teapots, cups and plates
• All those who recently donated crockery
• to Julie (Cornerstone) for the donation of a wrapping paper display stand
• Gairloch Museum
• Everyone who has helped us in any way this year!

We are already looking forward to planning for the 2020 season!

The summer season at the Old School, Inverasdale has had a tremendous start. In May we welcomed three times as many people to the Old Schoolhouse Tearoom and exhibitions as against the same period last year!

“A Land Fit for Heroes” has proved interesting, enjoyable and moving for so many of our visitors. One visitor said “We came and had excellent tea and cake at the School last week, and spent some time enjoying your exhibitions. I think you've done a grand job of displaying the Museum posters in the context of your own stories.”

The ‘School Exhibition’ continues to attract interest, not just from those who have connections. A visitor who spent quite some time in the school exhibition recently, particularly admired the gallery of photographs and the story told by these and the School Registers.

If you’re visiting the area come along and have tea, coffee and home-baking on a Wednesday or Friday afternoon from 2.00 pm until 4.30 pm, enjoy our exhibitions and browse the local arts and crafts on display.

Our volunteers have been busy getting ready for the summer season, our first under community ownership! We are open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2.00 pm until 4.00 pm from 1st May until the end of October.

Come along and enjoy our Tearoom:

“A really wonderful place at which you can have a lovely afternoon tea experience with nice china and superb cakes - a real celebration of Scottish baking.” (Facebook comment)

Browse local arts and crafts as well as artisan produce made within a mile of the Old School.

This year you can see updated free exhibitions centered around the ‘History of Inverasdale School’, the Wester Loch Ewe area, and Gairloch Heritage Museum have kindly loaned ‘A Land Fit for Heroes’.

We look forward to welcoming you!