Fire-hit Crannog Centre given £51,000 cash boost

The reconstructed 2,500-year-old crannog sat on Loch Tay near Kenmore

A Perthshire tourist attraction, devastated by fire in June, has been given £51,000 towards its recovery.

The Iron Age roundhouse, which is part of the Scottish Crannog Centre on Loch Tay, burned down in just six minutes on 12 June.

The recreated structure stood on stilts on the loch shore at Kenmore.

The Scottish government has handed over the sum to help with immediate costs ahead of the centre's relocation next year.

Despite being engulfed in flames, the centre reopened five days after the fire and continued to run events including sell-out performances of Romeo and Juliet, weekly music nights and a midsummer celebration.

'Part of our story'

Mike Benson, director of the centre, said: "We are incredibly thankful for this support.

"The fire is not the end of our story, it will become part of our story.

"This support will enable us to plan as we stride into our futures with confidence and to keep doing what we do best - to tell the inspirational stories of the Scottish crannog dwellers to the communities we are here to serve near and far."

The structure was completely destroyed in six minutes

More than £12,000 has been raised on a JustGiving page.

The timeframe for developing a new Crannog Centre on the north shore of the loch at Dalerb will be re-examined ahead of hopefully going ahead next year.

Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said: "I'm glad that the Scottish government has been able to support the Crannog Centre after the recent devastating fire - I very much hope that this funding will support the first steps of the centre's recovery.

"It is testament to their ambition and the dedication of the Crannog's staff that they have reopened so swiftly, under incredibly difficult circumstances.

"It is clear that the excellent work of the centre is much valued by local communities with their strong record of providing employment opportunities and supporting vocational learning."