Scotland’s Rural Past Celebrated this Weekend in Perthshire

16 June 2011

The success of a Scotland-wide community archaeology project will be celebrated in Perthshire this weekend (18-19 June). For the past five years, Scotland’s Rural Past (SRP) has inspired and trained volunteers in 60 local groups the length and breadth of Scotland, to research and record their historic settlements and landscapes.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, will congratulate the volunteers at an evening reception at Blair Castle on 18th June.

The reception comes at the end of a day-long conference which brings together more than 100 volunteers to talk about their experiences at Birnam Arts Centre. Over the last five years, SRP has encouraged thousands of volunteers to embark on projects that have now made a substantial contribution to our understanding and appreciation of the history of rural settlements across Scotland. Some of these volunteer projects have made spectacular discoveries, such as locating the remains of a 7th century chapel on Mull.