South Korean funding boost for new Highland centre

The new John Ross centre is named after a missionary who went to Korea

A former church in the Highlands has been redeveloped as a community facility thanks in part to a £54,000 donation from South Korea.

The new John Ross Visitor Centre will be available to the nearby Easter Ross villages of Hilton and Balintore.

John Ross, who was born in the area in 1842, was a Protestant missionary and the first person to translate The Bible's New Testament into Korean.

The donation was made by a church in the country's capital, Seoul.

The Pyungkang Cheil Presbyterian Church continues to celebrate Ross' link with the country, and representatives visited the Highlands in 2019.

The funding helped Easter Ross' community group Seaboard Memorial Hall (SMH) to buy the former Free Presbyterian church in 2020.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise also awarded £48,500 and funds were raised by SMH to cover other project costs.

The centre has been opened as a community space to the local area's 3,200 residents.

Historical items from Hilton and Balintore, including part of a Pictish stone, will be put on display in the centre.

A delegation from South Korea visited the Highlands in 2019

Maureen Ross, from SMH, said: "The John Ross Centre will be an important resource at the heart of the villages that will bring people together and attract more visitors.

"We thank everyone who has worked hard to bring us to this stage."

SMH supports 10 part-time jobs in the Seaboard area of Ross-shire and operates the Seaboard Centre, formerly known as the Seaboard Memorial Hall.

Before becoming a missionary, Dr Ross served Gaelic-speaking communities in his home area.

He later travelled to north east China and then Korea where he completed his translation of the New Testament in 1887.

Dr Ross returned to Scotland in 1910 and lived in Edinburgh where he died five years later.