South of Scotland Tourism Investment

A former coal mine turned visitor attraction is to benefit from £67,000 Scottish Government funding through the South of Scotland Economic Partnership. 

The funding will help develop Crawick Multiverse in Sanquhar in order to make the attraction more accessible to local schools, community groups and visitors. It will also enable Crawick to host all weather events all year round.

Since opening in June 2015, Crawick has welcomed over 20,000 people and is recognised as an accessible space for multidisciplinary collaborations, hosting performances, talks and educational programmes that focus on cultural celebration and artistic and scientific exploration.

Announcing the funding, Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop said:

“Tourism is everybody’s business in which we all have an important role to play, and Crawick Multiverse is doing so by utilising some of Scotland’s most attractive scenery and landscapes for our visitors.

“The South of Scotland Economic Partnership will award Crawick Multiverse £67,000 in 2019-20 to support the development of its visitor facilities.

“This investment reaffirms our commitment to enhancing the South of Scotland’s tourism destination status.”

South of Scotland Economic Partnership Chair Professor Russel Griggs said:

“This investment in enhanced visitor facilities for Crawick Multiverse is fantastic news for the attraction and a project that will have a lasting impact on the region as a whole.

“This investment is a further example of the work underway to support and develop projects which will deliver long-term social and economic benefits to communities in the South of Scotland, creating a successful, collaborative and thriving environment for both existing and new businesses and developing opportunities to make the south the thriving economy we know it can be.”

Crawick Multiverse Trust Chair Gillian Khosla said:

“This very welcome award will enable us to offer better welcome facilities for all who come to discover and enjoy this extraordinary land art creation by Charles Jencks. We look forward to playing our part in enhancing the sense of wellbeing that connection with our environment affords us all.”

Background

Crawick Multiverse is a major land restoration project on the Queensberry Estate. It has transformed a 55-acre former open cast coal mine into a popular artland and tourist attraction.

After extensive restoration, it opened in 2015 as an artland and visitor attraction. It plays a key role in the local community with strong links with schools, the arts & crafts community, and as a venue for on-site performances, talks and educational programmes.