by Issie MacPhail
Study to assess and describe current local history group activity; consider how best to develop appropriate synergy between this local level activity and the UHI Centre for History developments and explore the potential for Summer Schools bringing this sector together and delivering economic and educational impacts for the local areas.
This work was commissioned by Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise - part of the HIE network.
Executive Summary
Caithness and Sutherland enjoy an enormously active local history sector boasting at least 47... more
Executive Summary
Caithness and Sutherland enjoy an enormously active local history sector boasting at least 47 groups carrying out research, events and exhibitions of different sorts. The nature of these groups varies a great deal from modest but hugely active and energetic parish level organisations, with no staff and almost no money, to large operations managing buildings, staff and outreach programmes. In the 2007/08 financial year the following jobs and spend were achieved:
• 32.9 FTEs
• 161,963 visits/ trips1
• direct revenue spend in the local economy by these groups in 2007/08 of £1,194,958.24
• if Caithness Horizons’ capital costs are included it is a direct spend in that financial year of £5,194,958.242
• 41,837 voluntary hours, most of them in skilled work, which if costed at a very modest £10/hour, is an ‘in-kind’ contribution of £418,370.00 in that year
It should be noted that significant building and renovation work tends to be ongoing within this sector. Caithness Horizons opened in December 2008 after a £4 million redevelopment. In spring 2009 Timespan reopened after a full ‘refit’. Many groups are seeking to re-use or care for old buildings and so are constantly engaged in repairs, dyke work, path building, stonework, painting, rethatch, grass cutting and general maintenance which generates considerable work for the construction sector in the area. The levels of direct spend indicate the significant leverage this sector achieves in bringing money into the area.
The mode of operation varies widely:
• 10 of these groups have no building but 17 have at least one rented or owned and in some cases several buildings
• 5 have Museums, Libraries, Archive (MLA) accreditation
• 12 have no staff and no short contract workers and rely 100% on voluntary input
• 4 organisations have created jobs, contract work, residencies or workspace which as resulted in 8 graduate in-migrants and/or return migrants in recent years (there may be more which have not been reported) plus 3 small business start-ups and 1 new facility run by AOC Archaeology (2 full-time jobs there and expansion is likely)3
The history sector in Caithness and Sutherland makes an enormous and pivotal contribution to the tourism product and also generates significant economic impacts for the local area through this work. As in the rest of Scotland it is very difficult to quantify and track the full extent of those impacts but some illustrative examples are possible. For instance conferences organised by Caithness Archaeological Trust between 2003 and 2008 generated direct spend in the local economy of £317,698.00. The development of The UHI Centre for History in Dornoch has generated further in-migration and economic impacts:
• 6.8 FTEs created in Dornoch, bringing 4 new people to live there and
• ‘bringing home’ 2 return migrants – all to graduate jobs
• a further 1.8 FTEs and 7 part-time contracts outwith the study area
• 5 students moved into the area to study from Canada, USA, Italy and
• England in combination with the development of The North Highland Hospitality and Tourism Centre in Dornoch this represents a total spend of £7.2 million
The history sector in this area makes a very important contribution to cultural and social life too and creates opportunities to learn new skills. The work of the history sector is important for health, well-being and preventative medicine. The substantial contribution made by museums, events, exhibitions and research to the tourism product and economy is often undervalued and overlooked and it is to be hoped that this will become better understood.
Groups and individuals working and volunteering to work on historical and archaeological topics also work very closely with the region’s arts and crafts workers. Work of this type tends to stem from a fascination with the stories and puzzles of the local area, be they set in stone or in words. This adds to the dynamism and quality of what this sector can achieve and offer to both locals and visitors. A very high percentage of visitors to museums and participants in activities are local residents but no data is currently collected on this aspect via the standard Scottish level visitor attraction monitoring.
This impressive capacity and experience would make it possible to develop the tourism product, including Summer Schools, far more in the future. The first need though is to achieve improved profile beyond the local area. This can best be achieved collaboratively, for the entire area rather than one or two groups, in order to avoid duplication of effort and as a way of minimising costs.
1 These are 2008 attendance figures except for Caithness Horizons for which figures for Dec
2008 till Nov 2009 have been used since this facility only opened in December 2008. It’s two
busiest months in terms of attendance figures were December and August.
2 Accounts for the year ending March 2008 were used.
3 These 2 jobs are counted in the total of 8.
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