The Boleskine House project has an international audience, yet it holds potential for local benefit as well. Our vision is to create a sustainable, beautiful, historically sensitive and inclusive space for the enjoyment of all, and we believe that the Boleskine estate comes with great benefits for community engagement, both local and global. From gardening workshops to educational tours on wildlife and flora, and even still heritage tours on history to illuminating presentations over video conferencing, The Boleskine House Foundation seeks a holistic approach to get local, national and global communities involved to build an inclusive world on a truly multi-faceted project.
Heritage can make a real difference to peoples lives. Heritage sites and buildings play an important part in how people view the places they live and how this affects their quality of life. A key component of our project is therefore about shaping the way in which the estate can be used in the future.
We are also privileged to be based in an area of outstanding natural beauty and central to our wider plans is our ability to use the natural environment to improve mental and physical health while facilitating personal learning and growth along the way.
In a post-Covid-19 world, our communities need strategies for recovery. With mental health becoming an increasing concern due to forced travel restrictions over the coronavirus crisis, we hope to do out part in dampening social isolation and depression by encouraging members of the public to get outside and engage in a socially engaging, physically active lifestyle, while at the same time fostering an environment for heritage. Some of our community objectives and initiatives are aimed to achieve the following outcomes:
- A greater interaction between people, hence strengthening social cohesion and community involvement
- An increased awareness of a sense of place
- Realising a greater number of people living active, healthy lifestyles
- An increased engagement and inclusiveness of under-represented groups in the heritage sector
Heritage without boundaries
As part of our “Heritage without boundaries” initiative, we are reaching out to members in our communities with the aim of encouraging inclusiveness and facilitating a healthy lifestyle and growth through learning. Participating in heritage restoration does not have to be confined only to complicated skilled labour like masonry and joinery. We want people to feel that they have a place to learn, grow and live an active prosperous lifestyle. Many volunteers help us with simple gardening projects and taking care of the Boleskine land that has for so long been neglected. Others are presenting research in various disciplines of learning that contributes to the overall body of knowledge.
