A national museum development body has announced a cash windfall which will benefit various Highland and Argyll museums.
Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) has given £641,000 to help projects in museums across Scotland, bringing its total investment in the past 12 months to almost £1.5 million.
Projects in the Highlands include a £40,000 investment in employing a development officer at Groam House Museum, in Rosemarkie, to raise awareness of its George Bain celtic design collection among academics and the public.
The Grantown Museum and Heritage Trust will also receive £35,745 for the redevelopment of its gallery spaces.
Projects in Argyll and Bute include the £33,691 in to the construction of a new wooden catering facility for visitors at Dunollie Castle in Oban.
The Auchindrain Trust has also been given £40,000 to introduce tablet devices for people to take around the old longhouses, barns and byres at its museum’s village site near Furnace.
The new funding assists museums which use innovative and cost-effective programmes to better connect collections with their communities and contribute to tourism and economic development.
Fiona Hyslop, cabinet secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, said: “This investment is important because of the wider cultural significance of these collections, as well as what they mean to local communities. It’s important that we preserve and expand access to Scotland’s rich cultural heritage and this funding will make a difference to many people.”