Mart and college benefit from Lewis Endowment Fund

There is a space for the Fund in contributing to the early stage of projects to help get them off the ground or to provide facilities that would be difficult to fund from other sources.

Lewis and Harris Auction Mart and Macaulay College will be embarking on new projects this year thanks to grants from the Lewis Endowment Fund.

The Lewis and Harris Auction Mart will receive funding towards expanding their facilities by creating additional secure penning space for 1000 sheep and up to 50 cattle to ensure that the Mart can cope with demand.

Macaulay College will use their grant to start a new project – Back to Roots – which will see their members growing fruit and vegetables to complement other activities. The College is receiving support to buy polytunnels, windbreaks and other materials enabling them to grow a wide variety of produce.

The Lewis Endowment Fund was established by the late Thomas Basset Macaulay who founded Aberdeen’s Macaulay Land Use Research Institute; now the James Hutton Institute. It makes annual grant awards to projects that will benefit Lewis, particularly the development of agriculture and other land-based enterprises.

Professor Robin Pakeman, who manages the fund on behalf of the James Hutton Institute, said: “We believe that the Fund can contribute significantly to crofting and other groups on Lewis. There is a space for the Fund in contributing to the early stage of projects to help get them off the ground or to provide facilities that would be difficult to fund from other sources.”

There will be a further call for funding applications later in the year. For further information about the Lewis Endowment Fund contact Professor Pakeman or see the Lewis Endowment Fund page.