Opening of new John Ross Visitor Centre hailed a major boost for Seaboard villages as Easter Ross missionary's historic links with South Korea strengthened
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A FORMER church in Easter Ross has been redeveloped into a facility that offers social and economic opportunities for the community and visitors.
An official opening this week marked a treasured milestone.
The Seaboard Memorial Hall (SMH) acquired the former Free Presbyterian Church situated between Hilton and Balintore in 2020.
Now known as the John Ross Visitor Centre, it officially opened on Friday, May 13 with an attendance beyond expectation. The new community-owned facility will offer social and learning opportunities for local residents as well as visitors to the area.
A £48,500 grant from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) was awarded to SMH to support the cost of the purchase and legal fees. The community group has also contributed some of its own funds for the project.
A further donation of £54,000 for the purchase of the building was received from the Pyungkang Cheil Presbyterian Church (PCPC) in South Korea, which is very much part of the project’s ongoing support.
The area has strong Korean connections due to its links with John Ross, a missionary born in Rariche, Easter Ross.
He was the first person to translate The Bible’s New Testament into Korean in 1887 and later returned to Edinburgh in 1910 where he died five years later.
The new John Ross Visitor Centre now recognises his work and life and his links to the area.
The transformation of the facility is fantastic and will now help the community increase tourism levels and provide improved activities to the Seaboard villages. - Paul Harrington, HIE
Following a visit by the Korean church in July 2019, it was decided that the building would be called the John Ross Visitor Centre and refurbishment would be funded mainly by PCPC.
It is expected that the lower half of the Hilton of Cadboll Stone, which dates to about 800 AD and is currently situated in the Seaboard Memorial Hall, will be relocated to the John Ross Visitor Centre.
The top half of the stone is located at the National Museum of Scotland. Its new home at the centre will provide more space for visitors to see the significant Pictish artefact.
Other local historic items will be moved to the facility and will be on display for visitors and more educational activities will be delivered now that the new location provides the additional space needed.
Paul Harrington, development manager at HIE, said: “We were delighted to be in a position to help the Seaboard Memorial Hall finalise their funding package to enable them to purchase and refurbish the old Free Presbyterian Church.
“The transformation of the facility is fantastic and will now help the community increase tourism levels and provide improved activities to the Seaboard villages. Relocating the stone there and with the history and connection of John Ross with South Korea, more visitors will be enticed to come and see and hear about the history of the area and the people.”
Maureen Ross, from SMH, said: “The support from both the Korean church and HIE has seen this project through to the stage where we were able to have an opening day.”
She thanked Paul Harrington and James Turner of HIE for their guidance and support, the Korean partners and the John Ross Visitor Centre team who have worked hard on the project. She said the new John Ross Visitor Centre and Abraham Park Library “will be an important resource at the heart of the Seaboard villages that will bring people together and attract more visitors” and thanked everyone who has worked hard on it.
