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Significant donation given to broch project


By David G Scott

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An American businessman with Caithness connections has made a significant donation to local archaeological charity Caithness Broch Project (CBP).

Justin Stottlemyer, who now resides in San Jose, California, donated £10,000 to the charity after being made aware of it during a trip back to the country, where he lived for eight years. Mr Stottlemyer, who was born in Thurso, was introduced to the project by his cousin Matthew Swanson, and was impressed with the aims and ambitions of CBP which seeks to construct a replica broch that could serve as a major tourist attraction for the county.

Aerial shot of Ousdale broch. Picture:CBP
Aerial shot of Ousdale broch. Picture:CBP

Kenneth McElroy, a director of CBP, said the group was stunned with the generosity of Mr Stottlemyer. "We are totally over the moon with this gesture, " he said.

"The kindness, belief and support that Justin has shown – this is such a generous donation and we're just completely blown away. He's genuinely committed to making Caithness a better place."

Mr McElroy explained that Mr Stottlemyer has shown continued support for the project even after the donation.

"We've had several discussions about how to create new connections in America, which could prove invaluable in making this project flourish."

Mr Stottlemyer, who last visited Caithness in 2019, has worked at a number of start-ups in Silicon Valley – including eBay, PayPal, and Facebook – and is now a distinguished architect at Intuit.

He was delighted to see that his contribution would be put to good use, adding: "Caithness will always hold a special place in my heart and I hope to be able to share its beauty with more people by helping to share the past with the future".

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