Fact-finding trip for Flow Country World Heritage bid
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LOCAL delegates will be taking part in a fact-finding mission to Finland next week as part of the Flow Country World Heritage Site project.
Project coordinator Joe Perry, who will be leading the delegation, said: "We are approaching a very exciting stage of our project.
"World Heritage Site status is a big deal. There is no higher accolade – and we want to make sure everybody knows about it."
Among those setting off on Monday (September 23) will be Caithness councillor Karl Rosie, countryside ranger Marina Swanson, Sutherland councillor Deirdre Mackay, Magnus Davidson of the UHI Environmental Research Institute and Frances Gunn, of Tongue, independent chair of the Flow Country World Heritage Working Group.
Also in the 10-strong group will be Martin Thomsen, senior development manager at Highlands and Islands Enterprise, David Whiteford of the North Highland Initiative, Thomas MacDonell, conservation director for Wildland Limited, and Brigid Primrose, of Scottish Natural Heritage.
Mr Perry said: "I thought it would be good if a group of people who lived and worked in the Highlands went to a rural area in Finland to learn abut the impact of World Heritage Site status on local communities and businesses.
"Having people with us who live in the area coming back and saying what they have seen will make it just that bit more compelling."
He added: "We will take part in a really exciting itinerary which includes meeting with local residents and business owners, who will tell us what it is like to live in close proximity to these sites.
"It will also be a great opportunity for our team to have meaningful conversations about the future of this project and what it could bring to the area. It will be a good experience for everybody."
During the five-day trip, which received funding through the Leader programme, the Highland delegates will visit two World Heritage sites in Finland – Old Rauma and Sammallahdenmäki.
Situated on the Gulf of Bothnia, Rauma is one of the oldest harbours in Finland and was built around a Franciscan monastery. It is considered an outstanding example of an old Nordic city constructed in wood.
Sammallahdenmäki, near Rauma, is a Bronze Age burial site which was designated by Unesco as a World Heritage Site in 1999. Located on a hill in a remote area, it includes 36 granite burial cairns dating back more than 3000 years.
The delegates, who will fly from London to Helsinki where they will get a minibus to the west of Finland, will also get the chance to try out a Finnish sauna and take a short boat trip to visit an archipelago.
Mr Perry pointed out that a series of Full Flow consultation events had been held locally in July, including well-attended drop-in sessions where the idea of the Flow Country being a Unesco World Heritage Site was discussed.
Around 900 people benefited from the events featuring the BBC presenters Neil Oliver and Professor Iain Stewart as well as Professor Barry Gilbertson of the City of Bath World Heritage Site.
The project working group also did some networking at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where Below the Blanket – a series of new artworks inspired by the Flow Country – was installed throughout the Royal Botanic Garden.
In August, 13 young people from the UK and overseas took part in a special volunteering experience at the RSPB Scotland Forsinard Flows National Nature Reserve.
The Flow Country was chosen for a World Heritage Volunteers Programme under the framework of the Unesco World Heritage Education Programme.
Mr Perry said they would be continuing with their community consultation in the bid to secure World Heritage Site status for the Flow Country.
