Tarbat Discovery Centre holding 25th anniversary open day
A TRAILBLAZING Easter Ross visitor attraction will celebrate a quarter century with its local community this weekend.
To mark the Tarbat Discovery Centre’s 25th anniversary, it will be hosting an open day on Saturday (September 21).
The free entry centre open day will include cake and drinks, along with a raffle, piper and activities for children.
The main draw of the day is the opening of the new exhibition and book, Connections. Curated by volunteers, Connections explores five themes and highlights 25 objects that represent the museum.
Volunteers, trustees, the centre manager, and master craftsman Thomas Keyes will answer any questions visitors may have.
They will also show visitors around their exhibitions: Pictish carved stones in the Treasury; the Viking Hoard on loan from National Museums Scotland; Stories on Skins, the project where Thomas Keyes creates manuscript pages the Tarbat way.
At 1.15 pm, Calum Thomson, chair of the Tarbat Historic Trust, will open the official celebration, followed by remarks from the Lord-Lieutenant of Ross and Cromarty, Mrs Joanie Whiteford.
The Discovery Centre raffle prizes include a Tain Silver Dragon Brooch, a Family Dolphin Tour from Inverness, bottles of port and whisky, vouchers from Jail in Dornoch - and a sack of tatties from Bindal Farm.
Raffle tickets are available at the Tarbat Discovery Centre, Portmahomack golf club, Tain Through Time museum, and Dornoch Historylinks museum.
Mairi MacPherson, the centre manager at the Discovery Centre, said “Please join us on Saturday from 12.30 - 4.30 pm as we celebrate 25 years of the Tarbat Discovery Centre.”
“From 12.20 pm, a piper will welcome guests as they walk up the path. At 1.15 pm, the new exhibition ‘Connections’ will be formally opened. At 4.15 pm, the raffle winners will be drawn”
Duncan Black, trustee of the Tarbat Historic Trust and designated trustee for the 25th anniversary celebrations, said: “Our open day marks 25 years of invaluable support from our local community, visitors, academics, and businesses.
“We look forward to celebrating this milestone with you and hope to continue this support for the next 25 years”.
Calum Thomson, the chair of the Tarbat Historic Trust, said: “The Tarbat Discovery Centre was designed to house and display the many finds from the site's archaeological dig, along with items of local history.
“It was opened on September 24, 1999 by Charles, then Prince of Wales. The museum still houses those treasures and has over the years added special exhibitions, educational programmes, workshops, storytelling sessions, lectures, and family activities, evolving into a community institution with an ever-growing national and international reach.
“From the start, the Centre’s success has depended on a group of dedicated employees, volunteers, and trustees (who are also volunteers) working together to maintain, strengthen, and expand our founders’ vision.
“The continued existence of the Centre also depends on the many donations large and small, grants, and local funding that the Tarbat Historic Trust has received over the years.”