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Adopt a Monument

Frequently Asked Questions

What does adoption involve?

Generally, Adopt-a-Monument projects focus on conserving important heritage sites, and making them more accessible and understandable for visitors. We encourage you to involve as many people as possible in your project and to use your monument as a vehicle for educating others and raising awareness of the importance of Scotland's heritage. The shape your project takes is entirely up to you, however, and can be large or small scale. Contact our Adopt-a-Monument officer to discuss your options.

Who is eligible to take part?

Any voluntary group or organisation can join in, for example local archaeological societies or history groups. We don’t recommend individual adoptions, since the required workload and level of commitment are probably too great for one person. CSA can help you to identify a local group to partner up with, so that you can still put your ideas into practice.

Are there any restrictions on the type of monument we can propose?

‘Monument’ is defined in its broadest sense for the scheme, and is not limited to Scheduled Ancient Monuments under the custodianship of Historic Scotland. CSA encourages you to adopt monuments from anywhere in Scotland that are in need of some TLC. In theory, you could adopt anything from a stone circle to a public toilet!

When is a monument unsuitable for the scheme?

Full consent must be obtained from the landowner. Unsafe monuments or their surroundings are unsuitable, and sites in environmentally sensitive areas may pose a problem. 

We want to take part but which monument should we choose?

Go to the Advice Notes, or Contact our Adopt-a-Monument officer
to discuss your options.

What if we have to drop out of the project?

The project planning stages are thorough and we will make sure that your group know what to expect, including predicting any future problems and their solutions. However, you are not legally bound should you decide that you can no longer continue.

Do we need archaeological skills to take part?

Adopt-a-Monument will provide you with a range of training opportunities for any work you plan to undertake. This includes adequate health and safety training.

Will adopting a monument cost our group any money?

Adoption is free, but you will need group membership to CSA. We will assist you in applying for any funding you may need for your project. You will require group insurance for your activities, and help on this and other aspects of adoption can be found in our Adopt-a-Monument Guidelines.

How long does an adoption last?

This will be decided by your group, with help from the Officer. Sustainability is important, and we do encourage that projects are designed to care for monuments in the long term.