NEW DISCOVERY CENTRE PROVES A HIT WITH VISITORS
The Tomintoul and Glenlivet Discovery Centre has welcomed its 10,000th visitor during its first season following a £500k refurbishment funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Cairngorms LEADER.
The Discovery Centre in Tomintoul was refurbished earlier this year, as part of the £3.6m Tomintoul & Glenlivet Landscape Partnership. Owned and operated by the community led Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust, the Centre provides a visitor information hub and museum as well as a community space.
Tom Heron and Sally Turnham from East Lothian were delighted to find out they have helped the Centre meet its 10,000 milestone, well ahead of target. They said “We really enjoyed our visit to Tomintoul & Glenlivet and will return again soon’.
Over the summer, many visitors from around the world have visited the Centre, which plays a key role in helping them to discover and enjoy the area’s landscapes and rich cultural heritage. A virtual reality exhibit about the illicit whisky industry has proved particularly popular, as well as oral history recordings and many historic artefacts on display in the museum.
Doug Nisbet, chair of the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust said “Welcoming our 10,000th visitor represents a real milestone and a great achievement for our community owned and run Discovery Centre. We’d like to thank our volunteers, staff and visitors for making this season so successful.”
“The visitor numbers represent a 20% increase on the 2016 season and a 50% increase on the 2014 season when the Development Trust first took on the operation of the museum under lease from Moray Council. Since taking on the museum, the Development Trust has refurbished the Centre with funding from Heritage Lottery Fund and Cairngorms LEADER and created office accommodation above the Centre which currently hosts the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Landscape Partnership Team.”
Local business owner, Jane Lannagan from the Tomintoul Art Gallery added “The Discovery Centre has encouraged visitors to Tomintoul to learn more about our community and what it has to offer, to spend more time in the area and therefore spend more in the shops and hotels.”
The Centre is open 10am to 5pm daily until 28th October 2018, and will re-open for Easter next year. Meantime, keep up to date with the latest information on the Discovery Centre’s facebook page.
For more information contact Oli Giles, TGDT Development Manager, email oliver@tgdt.org.uk