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The Assynt Foundation was established following the landmark community land buy-out of the Glencanisp and Drumrunie Estates, in the parish of Assynt in Sutherland in the North-West Highlands of Scotland. In June 2005, the community of Assynt bought these estates, 44,400 acres of stunningly beautiful natural land, from the Vestey family, under provisions of the 2003 Scottish Land Reform Act. The area includes the magnificent mountains, Suilven, Canisp, Cul Mor and Cul Beag, a beautiful old hunting Lodge, Glencanisp Lodge, and an awe-inspiring, wildlife-rich world of lochans, rivers and hills.
Our objectives as stated in our Memorandum and Articles of Association are:
To manage community land and associated assets for the benefit of the Community and the public in general as an important part of the protection and sustainable development of Scotland’s natural environment, where ‘sustainable development’ means development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,
and
To advance the education of the Community about its environment, culture and/or history.
The Assynt Foundation aims to ensure the sustainability of our community, which has suffered significant losses in employment in recent years due to a downturn in our traditional staple industries of agriculture and fishing.
By fostering creative and sensitive uses of the estates and their assets, we aim to facilitate the creation of new employment and business opportunities. We are also working towards the creation of environmentally-friendly local affordable housing. The intention is to create a more diverse economy, encourage more young people to stay here and reverse the alarming demographic trend of recent years.
Underpinning this is the determination to safeguard the natural and cultural heritage of the land for future generations and the enjoyment of the wider public.
The purchase was made possible with assistance from the H.I.E. Community Land Unit, Scottish Natural Heritage, the John Muir Trust, the Tubney Charitable Trust and the Big Lottery Fund (by agency of the Scottish Land Fund).
In 1886 the Lochinver branch of the Highland Land League agreed to demand the restoration to the people of the deer forest of Glencanisp "where there is plenty of provision for ourselves and our families. It extends twenty-one miles ..... and the land of our fathers lying waste."
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