John O'Groats Mill plans are 'still progressing'
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PLANS to renovate the historic John O'Groats Mill have been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis but are still making progressing.
An update was given by Rognvald Brown, chairman of the charitable trust behind the initiative to get the B-listed building back into public use.
"The arrival of Covid-19 has made life more difficult for all voluntary and charitable organisations," he said. "They have been hit hard by the coronavirus and have seen budgets and schedules badly affected – but, despite this, the mill trust’s plans are still progressing."
Mr Brown said John O'Groats Mill Trust was delighted by a recent donation from the Co-op's Local Community Fund which selected the mill as one of the local charities it wished to support in 2020.
The fund raises money based on local sales of Co-op branded goods. The result was a contribution to the project of £804.
"Local charities are having a difficult time in current circumstances. This generous presentation from the Co-op is one the trust is very grateful for. It couldn’t have come at a more crucial time," Mr Brown said.
He stressed that "a lot of hard work goes on unseen" in voluntary groups.
He explained the trust has been working hard over the last couple of years on its plans to renovate the last of the Caithness corn mills.
The project is expected to cost between £1.5 million and £2m.
The trust has received £430,000 towards the cost of the project with just over £348,000 coming from the Scottish Land Fund. The rest of the money is expected to come from bodies such as the Big Lottery and the Scottish Government's Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.
The trust is also raising money.
Mr Brown added: "The aim is to make the mill a hub for the wider community to meet, get involved in activities in the mill, to celebrate Caithness heritage, or just to share memories. It should also become an additional attraction to support Caithness tourism."
