Signal Tower project seeks helping hand

Local helping hands are being sought for a project to transform the garden and courtyard of a 209-year-old piece of Angus maritime history.

The areas outside Arbroath’s Signal Tower are to undergo a £4,000 makeover with lottery funding.

And designers of the community garden at Dundee’s V&A attraction will lead the project.

They are also involving a mental health charity set up by an Arbroath mum following the loss of her son almost a decade ago.

But the hope is locals will step up to play their part in creating the new community space.

Angus Alive has been awarded £4,000 from the Heritage Lottery-funded Steps to Sustainability’ project which supports heritage organisations.

The volunteers will be working with Gary Kennedy of kennedytwaddle and Linsey Mcintosh.

They co-designed and delivered the V&A Dundee community garden.

Gary said: “We are enthused by this project and are very much looking forward to building a co-design team with the interested communities of Arbroath.

“We expect the experience to be engaging, creative and enjoyable, while achieving an outcome that we can collectively be proud of.”

Linsey said: “There’s so much potential with this beautiful coastal site.

“And together we can shape the next chapter of the story at the Signal Tower.”

Local charity Reach Across is already on board for the exciting development.

It was set up in 2013 by Sandra Ramsay following the tragic death of her son, Ross.

The 30-year-old was starting out in the music and theatre industry but struggled with mental health issues and his body was found after he went missing in Glasgow.

Reach Across now delivers vital mental health support from a dedicated base in the town’s Guthrie Port.

The Signal Tower was built in 1813.

It was the communication station for Robert Stevenson’s Bell Rock lighthouse off the coast of the Angus town.

In the early days, copper ball mechanisms and flags on the top of both the tower and the lighthouse were used by keepers and the shore base.

Recently, a £34,000 restoration project opened up the spiral staircase and the top of the tower to visitors.

The project is being launched at Arbroath’s Webster Theatre on Thursday at 2pm.

There will be a design workshop at the theatre on Thursday February 3.

Rachel Jackson of Angus Alive said: “The project will not only help wonderfully transform the space, it is also a fantastic opportunity for keen gardeners and designers to volunteer.”

GREEN SPACE: The area outside the Arbroath museum is to be given a makeover.