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2020/21 Chairman's report

  SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN HERITAGE COLLECTION (SMHC)    £977.44 in bank

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 2020/2021
Fortunately the Covid pandemic has had little overall effect on our collection. Artefacts continued to arrive by various means, there were fifty-seven donations between February 2nd and November 11th 2020, the Trustees have been sent a full list and the items are available to view on our website.
The Trustees were unable to meet face-to-face during this period, though we keep in touch via telephone and e-mail, and, as we are all personal friends, we meet informally quite often. Our archivist, Hermione, and I were able to work safely from our base here in Glen Roy to photograph, provenance and store the donated items, though storage is becoming a problem,
with spare room rapidly diminishing. ​
Internet enquiries continue to flow from the website which, according to Google Analytics, receives around 1,700 hits per month on average, and it’s becoming increasingly obvious that our site is used very much as a research tool – a kind of on-line mountaineering encyclopaedia.
We still have our small, long term displays at Glenmore Lodge and the West Highland Museum, with a larger display at the National Trust Visitor Centre in Glencoe, which, though scheduled for one year, may continue longer due to Covid.
Though not yet on the website, we have been working on several paper and photographic archives over the past couple of years, Stuart Moralee has spent many hours copying and scanning photographs and diaries. Copyright is always a tricky issue, but we hope to get some material on the website soon, meanwhile material is stored safely here for posterity.
Subjects include a large selection of glass plate slides taken during the construction of the Lochaber Water Power Scheme, these have been digitalised and the originals donated to the Lochaber Archive. There’s an excellent photo archive from a guy called Dick Gowers – cyclist, mountaineer and member of the Creag Dubh Mountaineering Club. Moira Longmuir kindly allowed us to copy many of her father Eric’s pictures. There is also a large selection of Scottish Guide Books, and a huge collection of glass plate slides by George Dalton, ski pics, Mountain Bothies Association information, Ladies Scottish Climbing Club pics & journals & lots more.
Finances seem to be in good order thanks to Simon, details will follow. Unfortunately we don’t have enough in the kitty to buy a museum yet.
Thanks to everyone for the help in 2020/21 – next year will hopefully be somewhat healthier. Mick Tighe, Chairman.
 

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