Partnership scheme comes to an end

Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape Partnership Scheme (CALLP),  has come to the end of the current phase of funding.

Over the past five years, the scheme has delivered a programme of over 30 projects, supported though the National Lottery Heritage Fund and a range of other funders. As this phase draws to a close CALLP said goodbye on 30 September 2021 to all but two of the staff team, who will continue for the next few months to support delivery of the final few projects, and completion of the reports and evaluation of this extremely successful partnership scheme. CALLP’s two Education Managers, Kat Martin and Fiona Saywell; Training, Events and Volunteer Coordinator Vickii Campen; Crofting & Rural Projects Coordinator Anne Campbell, and Woodland Manager Elaine MacAskill are moving on to other things. Boyd Alexander, the scheme’s Manager, and Laura Traynor, Assistant Manager, will remain for now.

Projects have so far included upgrading and creating almost 13km of paths, including routes over the iconic mountains of Quinag and Suilven; nearly 600ha of native woodlands planted and managed; training programmes for deer management and crofters; schools work with all ages; artists in residence; guidebooks and interpretation created; habitat surveys and citizen science projects.

Boyd Alexander, CALLP’s Scheme Manager, said ‘We are very proud of what has been achieved through CALLP over the last five years. Much of that success has been down to the hard work and dedication of our staff team, who have worked closely with our local communities and organisations to help them deliver so many fantastic projects on the ground. We wish them every success with their future plans, and want to say a huge thank you!’

Although this phase is ending, Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape is most certainly not. The Partnership has a forty-year vision for the area, and is currently looking at a number of options of how best to take that forward. In the meantime a number of projects are still being finalised, because of the delays that the pandemic has created. These should all be completed by the end of the year. Two other members of the team will also continue the work they are doing through CALLP’s partners, with Anne Campbell becoming the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Crofting Officer, and Elaine MacAskill staying with the Woodland Trust as Woodland Manager.