Forres Heritage Trust and Forres Men's Shed visited by hundreds of members of the public during Doors open Day
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TWO local groups confirm they had great interest generated by a national event they were part of.
Forres Heritage Trust (FHT) and Forres Men’s Shed (FMS) featured in the 33rd Doors Open Day on Saturday, September 24 - and both welcomed hundreds of visitors to their venues in the town centre, at Cluny Hill and Mundole.
Nelson’s Tower, the Tolbooth and Men’s Shed were part of Moray’s Doors Open programme, offering free access to ensure that cultural heritage was accessible to everyone.
FHT chairman, George Alexander, believes the trust has a duty to take part as it receive grant funding to help maintain the Tolbooth.
He added: “Both properties were accessible to the public from midday to 4pm. The event went well and once again we are indebted to our volunteers.
“Nelson’s Tower is council property which should be made as accessible as possible.
“The number attending the Tolbooth on Doors Open Day was 161. Our volunteer guides worked hard to show them through the building.
“We are not allowed to charge for entry during the event but we did get donations.
“We hope that this taster will encourage the visitors to return and pay for full blown conducted tours.”
FHT volunteer, Peter Haworth, added: “Visitors were arriving before we even opened the doors and there was a steady stream after that. We had visitors from Inverness, Elgin, Buckie and Aberdeen, a few Europeans and a couple from the USA. Several came up to the Tower following a visit to the Tolbooth.Without the volunteers we would have struggled, they were on the move for the entire period.”
FMS secretary David Parker explained that the group took part in 2021 too.
He said: “Last year was very successful - we sold some of our finished items and got some new members.
“The Shed was open for three hours in the morning this year. About 40 people from the local area visited this time. We gave out membership forms and showed items we’ve made to give them a better understanding of our organisation.The event was very successful and we got new members.”
