Marcassie Farm Lodges project uses £224,325 Moray LEADER funding towards building six units for hire for up to 12 people

THE owners of a local farm have built new guest accommodation and facilities, partly using European Union finance.

The Marcassie Farm Lodges project was awarded £224,325 Moray LEADER funding on a project cost of £388,767 to provide self-catering and catered accommodation of six units for hire for retreats, gatherings, meetings, events or simply as a base for visiting Moray for up to a total of 12 people.

Owners Sven Skatun and Betsy van der Lee explained, in addition to leisure tourism, their aim is to develop business and educational tourism, offering experiences in nature, arts and crafts, food and drink, culture, heritage and personal development.

They want to attract creatives and innovators to the area, as well as city entrepreneurs, corporate groups and organisations with green values looking for places to team-build, detox or experience free time.

Betsy, a psychosynthesis counsellor, shepherd, and blankets and cake-maker, said: “Sven and I come from backgrounds steeped in the arts and crafts. We purchased the farm in 1997 with a view to establishing a centre to preserve and support modern application of traditional rural skills and heritage crafts, and provide recreational, experiential, educational and work opportunities, particularly for younger people. So this has been a long held vision.”

The pair have run self-catering accommodation in the past and have experience in private catering, organising and hosting events and groups. Their team includes daughter and chef Gulli Francoise (33) and son Kris Skatun (35), a food grower and wood craftsman.

They hope the project will provide a collaborative platform for individuals, micro-businesses, social enterprises and organisations to showcase and deliver products, skills and services.

Film-maker, food preserver and craftsman Sven promises on-farm activities that will showcase experiences in and expertise of activities including food growing and preparation, sheep handling, basket weaving, spinning, felting, tanning and heritage crafts, wild foraging, animal tracking, bird language, music, health and wellbeing.

He said: “These will be provided by our family; Karen Collins, of Naturally Useful; Dan Puplett, of Nature Awareness; plumber and gas engineer Gareth Newell; and Filmcraft Moray, Moving Picts and musician Mary Jones.”

Marcassie Farm will collaborate with tour guides and venues offering outdoor and sporting activities, local festivals and events, food and drink related attractions, historic and sacred local sites.

Betsy said: “We are looking to establish relationships with businesses and groups who may wish to supply us or use our venues for their own activities. We will source as much of our fresh produce for catered meals from local growers and producers as possible, and purchase what we need for the business from local shops and suppliers as much as we can.”

The new development consists of a self-contained, integrated cluster of timber-framed and clad rectangular and octagonal units inspired by whisky spirit vessels and octagonal dovecotes. Oregon pine timber linings have been reclaimed from locally sourced whisky spirit vessels, while woollen blankets and cushion covers are woven from the farm’s own sheep wool. Baskets are also produced on the farm from home-grown willow.

A kitchen-dining area in new meeting venue, the Ting Hoose, offers locally sourced produce and will be a hub for food product innovation as well as health and food related events.

Sven said: “We are very grateful for the funding support we have received from LEADER which has made realisation of this project possible. We hope many individuals, businesses and organisations will be able to enjoy and use this facility as it is intended, as a platform for collaboration, enterprise and innovation and as a meeting place for individuals and groups to come together for renewal, recreation and creativity.”