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Harris genealogy centre's upgrade secures major funding

HEBRIDES PEOPLE An AI-generated image of what the inside of the Hebrides people Visitor Centre will look like after refurbishments. It's a light and airy environment with room for wheelchairs.HEBRIDES PEOPLE
The Hebrides People Visitor Centre will be transformed into a modern, accessible heritage destination

A genealogy resource centre in the Western Isles has secured more than £8m towards upgrading its facilities.

Following years of planning and fundraising, the investment will see the Hebrides People Visitor Centre in Harris transformed into a "modern, accessible heritage destination".

Its bosses said the upgrade would safeguard the site's archive, which is based on more than 60 years of research by Bill Lawson, a leading authority on Western Isles genealogy.

Hebrides People has signed a construction contract with Lewis Builders, and the building work is expected to be completed in April 2028.

Funding for the project was secured from the Islands Growth Deal, the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

The centre will close on Thursday with construction set to begin soon after.

Rebecca Hutton, chair of Northton Heritage Trust which operates the centre, said the redevelopment would "bring lasting cultural and economic benefits to Harris and the wider islands".

Harris councillor Kenneth MacLeod said: "There is so much in the culture, the genealogy, the heritage that we have in the whole of the Western Isles and enabling this now to go ahead and to develop it is really exciting for us."