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2021 feels like a year of new beginnings. We have the opportunity to enjoy things the pandemic put on hold, while remaining mindful to take nothing for granted. At Trees for Life, we look ahead with a changed perspective, renewed sense of optimism, and a commitment to find ways to engage people with our rewilding work.
The Dundreggan Rewilding Centre represents this ambition to focus more on people and community. Importantly, it’s not just about what we do, but also the heritage and history of where we do it. We are nearing a major milestone in the Centre’s development. This summer, we will break ground at Dundreggan. We have secured the funding and planning permission to enable us to move forward to the construction phase, and we will soon award the main building contract. While we had hoped to begin construction this spring, we faced some procurement challenges that delayed progress. We have resolved these challenges and now await confirmation of a start date.
The Rewilding Centre is ambitious. It requires a team of people with not only the right expertise, but the belief in what the Rewilding Centre represents, and a vision for what it will become. As Centre Director, I am fortunate to have found such a brilliant team to support the delivery of our plans into the next phase. We now have our Gaelic consultants, marketing support, interpretation designer, monitoring and evaluation services, and Welcome Tree sculptor on board.
We have also filled the first permanent staff position. Trees for Life team member Kat Murphy moves from her Community Engagement Officer role to Centre Education Manager. She will lead the development and delivery of the centre’s interpretation, educational programming, and community partnerships. Kat has a passion and skill for connecting people with nature, and she will make the Rewilding Centre both inclusive and accessible.
As the construction gets underway, our focus is increasingly turned to what this visitor experience will look like. You will begin to hear more from us over the coming weeks as we seek input to inform the Centre’s programming, products and interpretation. Further community consultation will also take place to ensure the Centre reflects what matters most to local people.
We plan to host workshops this autumn to gather more ideas for the Welcome Tree sculpture, which will be an important focal point in the Centre. The tree is an artistic representation of an ancient Gaelic cultural concept - am bile, meaning ‘the sacred or venerated tree’. Artist Helen Denerley is now working on the framework of the sculpture. She will use feedback from the workshops to add detail that will shape its final look.
Over the coming months we will update the Rewilding Centre webpage more regularly to provide information about community events, programme developments, and overall progress on the building work. Please make sure to check there and on social media for the latest news.
The Dundreggan Rewilding Centre is generously funded by the Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund, led by NatureScot, and the European Regional Development Fund, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, SSE Sustainable Development Fund, Audemars Piguet Foundation, FERN Community Funds, and Garfield Weston Foundation.