THE £1.8 million Gro For You Community Innovation Campus in Tain on the NC500 has officially been opened.
Designed to build futures for Easter Ross’ youngsters and the local community, it is hoped that the facility could help stem Highland depopulation.
Set off the NC500 route and neighbouring the Glenmorangie Distillery, the campus will provide learning and training opportunities in areas such as food production, hospitality and green business skills, as well as being a visitor centre with a café, farm shop, play area and gardens.
Featuring transparent sphere structures, called geodomes, that are constructed using recyclable materials – similar to those seen at Cornwall’s Eden Project and Walt Disney World’s Epcot.
Tain-based CR Contractors is led groundworks on the project, whilst Dingwall-headquartered Highland Domes created the facility’s learning domes. Main construction work was carried out by a consortium of local building companies.
Over 30 local residents helped out at two recent events on the site of the campus by painting, upcycling, planting trees, developing wetlands, and erecting planters and fencing.
Additional revenues generated by luring national and local acts to the domes will be reinvested in apprenticeships and opportunities for Tain’s youngsters a unique model described as ‘transformational’ by Scotland’s first minister.
The new events Dome and the completed network of signature domes were opened on the five-acre site by Mrs Joanie Whiteford, lord lieutenant of Ross and Cromarty.
Gro For You founder and chief executive, Sarah Mackenzie, described the packed new events space, with views over the Dornoch Firth, as ‘memorable’. She called on those in Scotland’s arts, corporate, and family events scene to choose Tain, to help build fresh opportunity in an area traditionally suffering outward youth migration.
She continued, “The events dome is very different from a traditional events or conference venue. Ultimately, we want it to create a circle of impact, bringing performers and events here from all over Scotland while creating opportunities for local artists, suppliers, businesses and young people.
“Events and hospitality income will be reinvested into creating further opportunities for our community. So, when somebody chooses to hold an event here, they are leaving something behind long after the guests have gone home.
“That is what makes the Dome particularly special – it isn’t just about creating memorable events. It is about using those events to help create lasting impacts.”
Since opening for its soft launch in May, the attraction on the North Coast 500 has attracted 200 customers per day to its café, children’s play areas and training spaces, creating 27 local jobs.
For You Training, the CIC spearheading the community wealth building initiative, certified 980 students as a local training provider last year, with 90% pupil attainment in foundation apprenticeships and wider achievement awards.
As well as being a unique visitor attraction, students learn in the campus’ educational environments and profits are ploughed back into providing meaningful qualifications and opportunities tailored to local economic needs.
Working with Highland employers and partners from the private, public and third sectors, Gro For You founders hope to create a community centre of excellence for future skills at the site.
Sarah Mackenzie continued, “We have a strong business model and a strong social value model. For us, commercial success and community impact are not competing priorities. The more Events we can attract, for example, the more opportunities and community benefits we can provide. It’s a win-win.”
Co-Founder Richard Jones added, “We want to create a centre for excellence for future skills under our Gro Futures model where local employers can work with us to design the workforce they need.
“We want to be able to respond to the changing requirements of the local economy and build the workforce that will support the Highlands for generations to come.”
Lord Liutenant Mrs Joanie Whiteford commented, “I’ve watched with interest as the project has transformed into a multi-faceted facility offering career building opportunities in the hospitality sector and beyond for our young people in Tain.
“It has also becoming a welcoming community space, and tourist attraction and I really look forward to forthcoming events in this unbelievably impressive events dome.”
