Stepping back in time thanks to £10k boost
New funding has been provided to help the people of Stonehouse step back in time.
Stonehouse Heritage Group welcomed the £10,000 cash boost which will help enable locals, as well as the wider public, learn more about the town’s history going back over 400 years.
The money will be used to improve the group’s website which stores a plethora of information including village and family history research and a social record of life there around the late 1800s.
The voluntary group and registered charity has collated information on Stonehouse’s heritage dating back to the late 1600s. It is available on the group’s website and Facebook forum for members and the public to find out about their ancestry as well as the town’s historical past.
Hundreds of photos and records are held and the funding provided by Banks Renewables will help make these more accessible.
The grant was given to support communities around the Kype Muir Wind Farm and will ensure the group can continue and improve its work.
Stonehouse Heritage Group was formed in 1991. Robert Freel joined a few years after its founding and has been heavily involved in the project ever since. He said: “To receive this grant is absolutely massive for the future of the group. With the funding, we’ve been able to completely revamp our website.
“This expensive process has enabled us to store hundreds upon hundreds of historical photos and records, enabling people all around the world to learn about Stonehouse’s history.
“We will also be investing a proportion of the fund into scanning important documents so that we can share copies of the historical information on the site.”
The cash is made up of £6000 from Banks’ Renewable Energy Fund (REF) and an additional £4000 from the Kype Muir Community Partnership Fund.
As well as helping to improve the project, the funding also hopes to attract younger members to join the group to ensure longevity.
Robert added: “We’re hoping that by making these improvements, we will be able to attract younger members, raise the profile of the group and continue to discover new layers of Stonehouse’s history.”
The Stonehouse Heritage Group applied for the funding from the REF from Banks Renewables and South Lanarkshire Council which is part of Banks’ Connect2renewables initiative, which commits Banks to maximise social, economic and environmental benefits to communities which host its projects.
Robin Winstanley, sustainability and external affairs manager at Banks Renewables, said: “We’re delighted to have contributed to such a great project that highlights the importance of community and history in the small village of Stonehouse.
“The work that the group is doing to constantly make new and important discoveries about the village’s history is essential to the community. The team at Banks feel privileged to be able to support this cause and is excited to see what comes next from Stonehouse Heritage Group.”
You can find out more at stonehouseheritage.co.uk