Seafarers Memorial Group reaches its target after grant from Caithness and North Sutherland Fund
A Wick community group planning a monument to those lost at sea has achieved its £100,000 fundraising goal.
A grant of £20,710 from the Caithness and North Sutherland Fund has taken the Seafarers Memorial Group to its six-figure target and designs are now being sought from artists before the plans are finalised.
The award from CNSFund is part of a package worth more than £58,000 divided among five community projects in Caithness and north Sutherland.
The Seafarers Memorial Group has been raising funds to design and erect a memorial at Wick’s Braehead in memory of all seafarers lost at sea from or in the WK registration area.
The group's treasurer, Allan Tait, welcomed the CNSFund support and said the memorial would serve as a focal point for remembrance.

“We are delighted to be awarded this grant which takes us up to our £100,000 target," he said. "We have been overwhelmed by the support shown from the community and businesses throughout the WK registration area.
"The north of Scotland has always had a great tradition of people working at sea but that has come at a great cost with many lives being lost. Up until now there has been no memorial to mark those lost and this was the challenge we set ourselves.
"The memorial will provide a focal point for quiet reflection and remembrance as well as raising awareness of our seafaring heritage. It will also serve as a legacy monument for future generations that will link the past with the present.
"We are now asking artists to provide designs and we look forward to working with the community to finalise our plans in the new year.”
Two football clubs in Caithness benefited from CNSFund grants.
Castletown was awarded £20,917.58 to help with the costs of refurbishing its clubhouse pavilion. The project will bring the building up to modern standards to create a warm, attractive and inviting community facility.
The improvements will include a new roof, electrical rewiring, new heating and showers as well as internal insulation and redecoration.
Wick Academy was awarded £7500 to help with the costs of a new mower. The mower will assist the club with maintaining its pitch to a high standard.
Melvich Community SCIO was given £7446 towards land acquisition costs in relation to land adjacent to the old Melvich hall site. The additional land will enable the charity to progress with the design and build of a multi-functional community hub.
Tongue, Melness and Skerray Wildlife Group is to receive £1785 towards creating a website that will promote the area's wildlife and natural environment.
CNSFund chairperson Gillian Coghill said: “These latest grant awards help to enhance our social and recreational amenities as well as promoting our maritime heritage and natural environment.
"We are pleased to be able to support these worthy projects and we encourage groups to continue coming forward with impressive proposals that will enhance the Caithness and north Sutherland area.”
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CNSFund was established to distribute a £4 million funding package provided by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) as a result of the low-level waste facility built near Dounreay. Grants are distributed in line with the NDA’s socio-economic policy with applications being assessed on a quarterly basis.
Further information can be found at www.cnsf.org.uk, on Facebook or by contacting the fund coordinator David Shearer on enquiries@cnsf.org.uk (07841 204 982).