TELEVISION presenter Sir Tony Robinson will today unveil a display at Stonehenge to celebrate eight “unsung champions of heritage”.
Two Scots are among the heritage workers and volunteers from throughout the UK whose contributions are being celebrated.
Luke Strachan is chief executive of Wild Things, an environmental charity based at Findhorn in Moray, while Jade West is a volunteer co-ordinator at the Skylark IX Recovery Trust at Dumbarton.
Their images will be projected onto the stones, marking the first time the honour has been bestowed on members of the public.
Sir Tony said: “I love the fact that Stonehenge is being lit up as a tribute to some of the country’s key project workers and volunteers, letting the public know about the hard work they’ve been doing to keep our heritage accessible to everyone using National Lottery funding.
“Without the graft and tireless effort of these wonderful people, our much-loved heritage would be more at risk than ever this year.
He added: “As a nation we have a deep love for our open spaces and historic places.
“Understanding our heritage makes us feel closer to where we live and can bring a great deal of joy.
“Lots of us have spent many hours during lockdown enjoying our culture and heritage, and these findings prove what a positive impact this has had on people’s happiness and well-being, especially during such difficult times.”
Strachan said: “The sorts of activities we’re offering are needed now more than ever.
“Even if we had to adapt or reduce their scale, we still had to get out there.
“The ambition is to bring the community together around nature, to celebrate it, to learn about it and protect it.
“We also developed a covid-19 response programme for care homes during lockdown, working with 25 homes.
“We turned our office into a postal factory, sending out nature information – it’s been our way of continuing to reach those people at the heart of what we’re trying to do.”
The Skylark IX Recovery Trust was set up to restore the Skylark IX – a boat that saved the lives of 600 men during the evacuation of Dunkirk – in tandem with its parent organisation, Alternatives Community Recovery Service, a drugs recovery and rehabilitation body.
West explained: “Projects such as this are a real lifeline for people and offer so much structure, pride and support that they need in their lives.
“Trying to stay optimistic when you’re being knocked by the restrictions, when you’re having to chop and change, is perhaps one of the harder things we’ve dealt with.
“But even through the adversity of the knockbacks, we’ve been able to push through.”
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