Tarbat Discovery Centre fights for survival

[BAJR]

Tarbat Discovery Centre will close at the end of 2010 unless we can secure funding to maintain our continuing operation. We have launched an Appeal and would like to ask for your help in saving the museum at Portmahomack.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]591[/ATTACH]

Our exceptionally beautiful centre, made to commemorate and celebrate the discovery of Scotland?s first Pictish monastery, is situated in the restored church of St Colman, a beloved landmark over-looking the Dornoch Firth on the Tarbat Peninsula in northern Scotland. The first small Christian community arrived here in the late 6th century probably from Iona, and the monastery was perhaps founded by St Columba himself at the culmination of his long journey up the Great Glen into the heart of the Pictish nation.

Inside the church are displayed many of the finds from the monastic excavation - including the debris left behind by monks making parchment and church vessels, and substantial fragments of a range of sculpture, including cross-slabs, church furniture, shrines and gravemarkers, all necessary for the life of a major monastery. We have entertained and moved thousands of visitors in the ten years since the museum was opened by Prince Charles. Now we are asking the many friends we have made to help us weather the current storm.

These are difficult times for small museums. We, in particular, are situated away from centres of population in a lovely but remote spot at the far end of a one-way road to Tarbat Ness. So although our visitors often return, our earnings will never be huge. Poor returns from tourism and a reduction in subsidies have resulted in us incurring an increasing shortfall over the past three years, and this has more or less wiped out our reserves. We were created with the help of grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Museums of Scotland, Historic Scotland and Highland Council. These agencies have supported us magnificently, but now we are on our own and dependent on our visitors, friends and well-wishers. In this climate only the toughest will survive. :0

http://www.tarbat-discovery.co.uk/urgentappeal.html

HOW TO HELP

Sign the Online Petition - SAVE TARBAT DISCOVERY CENTRE

Make a Donation or view the Formal Appeal on the Big Give

Donate through Charity Choice

Donate through Charities Trust

Donate through PayPal

[B]

[/B] If you would like to become a Patron of the museum by paying a regular annual amount please download a Standing Order Form and return it to your Bank branch, the amount can be anything you wish and can also be Gift Aided.

If you make a Donation by Standing Order or Cheque and you are a UK Taxpayer then please consider using Gift Aid - ?750 million goes unclaimed each year on charitable donations.

(Both documents are in RTF format but should you experience any problem in opening them please email us).
Please make Donations made by Cheque payable to 'Tarbat Historic Trust'.
If you are a European Citizen living outside the UK and you wish to make a donation we recommend that you visit the Giving in Europe website for more information about European cross-border giving.

If you feel there is any other way you might be able to assist us please email us at the Centre.