It’s nearly two years since ARCH was first set up, and in that time we've worked from Auldearn to Gairloch, and Golspie to Boat of Garten running classes that allow everyone to get involved in finding more about their local history.

 

At the core of ARCH’s activities is the three year Stop,Look and Listen project, funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund, European Community Highland LEADER 2007-2013 Programme and support from The Highland Council and Scotrail. 

 

There’s been lots of courses under this banner, including looking at community timelines or evidence of old routeways, and using site visits, documents and maps to find out more. At Nairn Museum and at Groam House Museum on the Black Isle people have been learning how to research and put together a museum display; there’s been the chance for travel too on the ‘Heritage along the Kyle Line’ course where, thanks to the free travel provided by Scotrail, ARCH course participants are able to study the past through the comfort of a train window. For those that like to get a bit uncomfortable and grubby the ARCH excavation at Foulis, near Evanton on the Cromarty Firth, looking at a mound that seems to have had past human usage -  and at a possible routeway - proved a big hit. ARCH will be continuing the excavation in 2012 to see what more can be discovered.

 

As project officer Susan Kruse commented: “The response to our courses has been tremendous, and now that we’re more than half way through our three-year funding we’re asking for feedback on our courses so far and planning ahead to see how we can get even more people delving into their area’s past.

 

"We’ve been holding meetings to get people’s views, but we’d also like people to get in touch to let us know how they think ARCH has done so far, and to tell us if there are particular skills that they’d like to learn, or an aspect of local heritage that they’d like to study.”

 

We'd like to hear from as many people as possible, so download a form from 'ARCH future plans' on our library page and let us know how you think we've done so far,  if there's particular skills that you’d like to learn, or an aspect of local heritage that you’d like to study.