New environmental exhibition
North Uist Development Company are pleased to announce the opening of the Àrainneachd Àlainn environment exhibition in the former Lochmaddy School.
Lochmaddy School was taken over by the North Uist Development Company and received the keys for the building in March 2021, and this is the first step of the redevelopment plans to create a community hub.
Lochmaddy School closed along with Carinish School and Paible School in 2016, as all children on North Uist moved to a new single school site at Sgoil Uibhist a’ Tuath.
Constructed in the 1970s, Lochmaddy School sits on the edge of the village, with the original building dating back to the late 1800s.
Scottish Land Fund (Stage 2) funding enabled the asset transfer from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to North Uist Development Company.
The exhibition will be open to the public on Saturday 4th June 2022, from 12pm – 4pm and details of future opening hours will be posted on the NUDC Facebook page and website.
The exhibition celebrates the diverse environment of Uist, majoring in its unique geology and marine environment.
QR codes will provide visitors with an opportunity to access further information on specific topics and will allow the content of the exhibition to be updated or altered over time.
Screens and boards feature many aspects of Uist, from weather to the coastal lands and the machair. The impact of climate change is also a prominent focus of the exhibition centre.
Diane McPherson, Chairperson at NUDC, said: “We are hoping that lots of visitors and locals will visit the exhibition and
that it will offer opportunities for local school children to learn more about the environment around them. We are also keen on locals, including schoolchildren, to become involved in a wider range of activities at the centre in the future.”
A large part of the exhibition follows the geological makeup of Uist in chronological order, featuring rocks and stones collected over time by Dr Jean Archer.
“The unique geology of Uist is not well-known,” said Dr Jean Archer, a member of the board, “the exhibition provides an opportunity to display some of the most interesting features of the geological landscape”.
Designed and constructed by Da Capo from Leicester after a tendering procurement process, the exhibition received funding from Inspiring Scotland and the Islands Green Recovery Programme.
