Community Share Offer

Investing in your community

Northton Heritage Trust are planning a community share offer to enable the wider community to be part of the exciting project to develop the records and exhibitions at Seallam! Visitor Centre.

A bit of background

Bill and Chris Lawson began documenting family trees in the Outer Hebrides over 40 years ago.

The project grew into a purpose-built visitor centre – Seallam! (Gaelic for Let’s see!).

Bill is keen to hand over his life’s work having donated the entire genealogical record of the Outer Hebrides and his extensive library to Northton Heritage Trust.

The community-led Trust wants to see the legacy preserved and taken forward – reaching new audiences and celebrating the heritage and culture of the Hebrides and its people.

What’s the Plan

An exciting future is planned. Following our recent successful Scottish Land Fund application, the community will purchase the land and buildings around the current Seallam! Visitor Centre and the Old Schoolhouse.

Once in community ownership the plan is to use grant funding and a community share offer to upgrade the existing visitor facilities to include:

• A new state of the art St Kilda and Harris exhibition
• An extended bookshop
• A much needed café with toilet facilities

Investing

We will be offering the chance to buy community shares in Seallam! Visitor Centre in early 2022. It will make you a par-owner and supporter of this world class visitor attraction.

You will be able to buy shares for £25 each (Harris locals) and £300 each (non locals). If the Visitor Centre performs well, you should receive your money back, plus some interest.

But more importantly, you will have an equal say in how things are run – one shareholder, one vote – and the satisfaction of knowing that you will be benefiting the South Harris community.

Benefits of improving Seallam!

• Improving the already world class visitor attraction in South Harris
• Creating a base for culture, heritage and Gaelic learning
• Creating and sustaining local employment
• Making heritage and culture assets more accessible – globally and locally
• Improving local services – tea/coffee, toilets, ceilidh spaces, educational opportunities
• An ecologically sound venue preserving and celebrating the Lawson legacy

Our Pledge Campaign

As we plan the community share offer we are keen to know how many people will be interested in buying shares when the time comes.

51% of shares must be bought by people principally resident in Harris with the other 49% available to those living anywhere else in the world.

Please register your interest:

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NorthtonHT