A Moray water sports centre has been awarded nearly £100,000 to pay for new equipment for the facility.
The Cullen Sea School project was launched by the Three Harbours Association – representing Cullen, Portknockie and Findochty – three years ago.
The group revamped a row of abandoned boat stores along Cullen’s waterfront into a modern seafaring centre.
Local boating enthusiasts and tourists can take lessons in canoeing, coastal rowing and kayaking, and experienced boat builders provide classes on traditional boat building and rope knot techniques.
Now the £500,000 school, which was formally opened by the Duke of Kent in October last year, has been handed a £96,000 grant from the Coast Communities Fund (CCF).
Katalin Urquhart, project coordinator at the centre, said: “The school is glad to announce the recent award of vital additional development support from the CCF, a mixture of capital and revenue funding amounting to £96,000.
“The school is being developed into a hub for all things related to small boat sailing and water sports, offering a small boat building and repair workshop, meeting and instruction space, and showering and changing facilities including provision for the disabled.”
The fresh injection of cash will pay for two safety boats with trailers, a dinghy, and building kits for dinghy and skiffs, as well as canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and life jackets.
The Cullen Sea School team are also working closely with Buckie High School to develop a SQA-accredited wood working course.
The team hope that the course, if successful, will “help to stimulate interest in and preserve fast disappearing traditional boat building skills”.