Halkirk volunteers 'overwhelmed' by support for motoring heritage centre
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Volunteers working to establish a motoring heritage centre in Halkirk hope it can become an important new tourist attraction for Caithness.
Halkirk Heritage and Vintage Motor Society hosted an open afternoon on Saturday to give the public an idea of what to expect when the centre opens in 2022.
It will accommodate a dozen or more classic and vintage vehicles as well as other displays within the old school in Sinclair Street, formerly Stephens plastics factory.
The building had been purchased and altered some years ago, with a large extension added, and was nearing readiness before the pandemic struck.
Moves to create the centre began with Edward Sutherland, who ran a garage business in the village and was a well-known vintage and classic vehicle enthusiast. Sadly, Mr Sutherland, who was a founding member of the society, died in 2019 before his ambition could be fulfilled.
The organisation is now on schedule to open in 2022 and members say they have been "overwhelmed" by the level of support.
Chairman Chris Eyre sees potential for the Halkirk centre to be part of a trail linking various heritage attractions around the county.
“I am hoping it's going to help tourism in the Halkirk area and in Caithness,” he said during Saturday's well-attended event. “There are quite a few heritage centres and museums in the area and what I would like to see in the future, if it could be arranged, is a Caithness heritage trail being set up.
“You could have a trail and possibly market it not just for one day but for probably a two-day or three-day holiday.
“I feel a lot of people just look at Caithness as a stepping stone to the Northern Isles, or basically it's a fishing holiday.
“To my mind, for some of the people who drive the North Coast 500, it's a case of who can do it the quickest – which is a shame, because they are missing out on an awful lot.
“I honestly don't think Caithness advertises itself as well as it possibly could. But these are things for the future."
The intention is that the vehicles on display will rotate to a certain extent, while there will be changing exhibitions on a local heritage theme elsewhere in the building.
“Very few of the exhibits we have in here today are the ones that are going to be on display when we actually get opened," Mr Eyre explained.
“We've got Edward Sutherland's collection of cars which are in storage and we're going to get those out in the new year. We're in discussion with his cousins to have them displayed and they should fill this space up nicely.
"It's a fantastic display area.
“We want guest cars in as well. We're working with the Caithness and Sutherland Vintage and Classic Vehicle Club so we keep things fresh.
“I'm amazed at the number of classic cars that there are up here.
“I am really overwhelmed, to be quite honest, with the generosity of people – not only with their donations but offers of exhibits that they've got at home. I think in the first five minutes we had offers of three new exhibits.”
Mr Eyre, a former RAF electronics technician, added: “We've had a great response from local trades people and the local college.”
One of the cars on show on Saturday was Mr Eyre's MGB GT, built in 1970 and named Douglas.
“It came out of the factory on the day I joined the RAF,” said Mr Eyre, who has had the car since 2009.
Local man Les Bremner had three cars on show on Saturday – an MG TD from 1951, an MG TF built in 1986 and a modified Triumph Stag from 1976. “All these cars are on the road daily – when the weather is good, they're out,” he said.
Mr Bremner, a retired electronics engineer, is vice-chairman of Caithness and Sutherland Vintage and Classic Vehicle Club as well as being a member of Halkirk Heritage and Vintage Motor Society.
One corner of the building was taken up by Mr Bremner's extensive collection of World War II era radio communications equipment.
“My did did his national service in the RAF," he explained. "He was trained in aero engines but he was self-taught in electronics and he helped me build my first radio when I was seven or eight years old, an old crystal radio set.”
Mr Bremner added: “Despite the weather we've had a reasonable turnout. It's an unknown thing, what the response is going to be.”
Billy Macintosh of Pentland Model Boat Club had a display of skilfully crafted model boats. Also on show were racing karts and items of motoring memorabilia, while one room was filled with a display of photos of local school classes from yesteryear. These generated great interest throughout the afternoon as visitors tried to pick out some familiar faces in the archive line-ups.
There was a second-hand book stall and refreshments were served.
The society’s main raffle comprising 1500 tickets, which ran for two months, sold out – raising £1500. A raffle on the open afternoon raised £235 and donations came to £290.
Prospects had looked bleak at the society's annual general meeting in August. Fresh impetus has come with a new management committee and the continued support of the membership. A legacy became available in September which has secured the future of the project and allowed further necessary work to be carried out.
As a registered charity, Halkirk Heritage and Vintage Motor Society is run entirely by volunteers. New members are always welcome.
