Sculpture site prep started
A bronze sculpture which will celebrate the lives of two climbing legends has moved closer to completion as preparation work gets underway at the spot where it will be sited.
The Collie Mackenzie Heritage Group has been fundraising for some time to bring the project to fruition and place the sculpture in the landscape looking towards the Cuillin.
John Mackenzie was from the crofting village of Sconser and began climbing the Cuillin at the age of 10. He went onto become the first ever native Scot to become a professional mountain guide to Alpine standards.
Mackenzie met Professor John Norman Collie, an internationally renowned scientist and mountain expert, on Skye – and the pair formed a climbing partnership and friendship that spanned
Mountaineering legend, Sir Chris Bonington, left, gave his support to the Collie and MacKenzie Heritage group, when he met committee members Hector and Morag Nicolson at the Fort William Mountain Festival.
over half a century. The heritage group had previously landscaped the surrounding area of the sculpture site at
Sligachan, incorporating a car park, oak shelter, information
panels, paths, a stone seat and bronze relief of the
Cuillin. In February it successfully reached the £117,000 target to bring the project to fruition.
Having reached the funding target to build the sculpture (a matter of weeks before news of the pandemic broke and lockdown began), the group made the decision to keep going and aim for its target of unveiling the sculpture at the end of the year.
Preparations at the site are now under way and it is hoped that if things go to plan the sculpture can be in place for late September.
They are closely following the government’s guidelines regarding gatherings at events. It remains to be seen whether a ceremony to mark the unveiling of the sculpture will be able to take place, but if not, it is planned that the sculpture will nevertheless be put in place for this date.
Morag Nicolson, chairperson of the Collie MacKenzie Group, commented: ‘We would like to thank all those who have been with us on this journey to build the sculpture and who have given us tremendous support along the way.
‘It’s been a struggle, and at times we doubted it was going to happen, but we kept going with the support of the Skye community and from people from all round the world.
‘It’s testament to them that we will now be placing the sculpture of both climbing pioneers at Sligachan, looking towards the Cuillin, the hills that both men did much to map and explore.’