Royal appeal to help save The Argylls’ museum in Stirling
THE ARGYLL and Sutherland Highlanders Museum at Stirling Castle has launched its public appeal to secure its future, seeking to raise £200,000, under the patronage of HRH Prince William, The Earl of Strathearn.
In a message released this weekend, His Royal Highness asks the public to donate to the re-development fund to help preserve the memory of one of Scotland’s great Highland regiments which traditionally recruited from Oban and Lorn.
The appeal is named the ‘Thin Red Line Appeal’ and refers to the regiment’s most celebrated feat of valour when it defied a Russian cavalry charge at the Battle of Balaklava in 1854.
Volunteers throughout the regimental heartland, from Argyll to Kinross-shire, are already making plans and organising teams and sponsored events for fundraising activities to boost the project. Their efforts will enable the completion of the museum which honours the achievements and sacrifices of The Argylls in war and peace.
Based in Stirling Castle, the regiment’s spiritual home for more than two centuries, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum is planning a major re-development and reinterpretation of its collection of militaria, art and archives.
In his appeal letter, HRH The Earl of Strathearn writes: ‘The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum needs your help. This project has already received substantial donations and pledges but we still need to raise more. We need to ensure that future generations will discover for themselves what we owe to the Argylls’ memory. This ambitious project will ensure this great historical legacy will survive, engaging and educating the visitors of tomorrow.’
Supporters of the project include former Colour Sergeant Adam McKenzie, 90, who joined the regiment in 1945 and served for 35 years, including engagements in Palestine, Korea and Aden.
He said: ‘Without The Argylls’ museum the history will be lost as The Argylls no longer exist as a regiment in their own right.’
Construction work on the £4m project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, will begin in summer 2018. It is hoped the re-development will attract an extra 28,000 visitors a year to the museum at Stirling Castle.