en.Wedoany.com Reported - The £1.8 million "Gro For You Community Innovation Campus" will officially open on June 5 in Easter Ross. Developed over seven years, it is described by developer Gro For You as the "largest tourism infrastructure of its kind" in Easter Ross. The main construction work was led by a consortium of local building firms, with CR Contractors of Tain handling the foundation works and Highland Domes constructing the learning dome.
The campus features a learning and events dome, a dining area, an adventure playground, and a caravan park, with profits reinvested into creating youth opportunities to curb population decline in the region. Visitor spending at the café, restaurant, playground, and events dome will be reinvested in apprenticeship training, helping to prevent young people from leaving the peninsula. To date, the project has created five full-time senior positions and sustained 19 local construction jobs over the 15-month build phase.
Previously, Tain failed to fully capitalize on the thousands of additional tourists brought to the Highlands by the NC500 due to a lack of facilities. This new destination serves as a key stop on the scenic route, equipped with parking suitable for caravans, welfare and waste disposal facilities, and a tourist information center. With nearby cruise tourism in Invergordon bringing more footfall to Easter Ross, the campus is expected to become a major attraction and a catalyst for community regeneration. Sarah Mackenzie, co-founder and CEO of Gro For You, stated that the campus offers an opportunity for Tain to step forward, boldly attract tourists, and promote tourism, as the infrastructure now exists to support it. She noted that there are no other attractions of this scale nearby, and when people come off the A9 road, they need places to stop and rest, want locally grown sustainable food, and require facilities to shower—conditions that may not be available in a caravan, for example—as well as an adventure playground where children can play and run safely.
Tourist offices across Scotland have closed, but the campus features a tourist information center. Visitors can purchase local gifts or food, learn about other places to visit in the area, and discover the growing dome, herb garden, orchard, wetlands, and biodiversity zones. Gro For You is a community interest company; the restaurant kitchen will serve as a training center for hospitality apprentices, while the woodland and growing dome become learning spaces for students in rural skills and food technology. The campus has received funding for natural wetland restoration on site, and vegetables grown in raised beds will be used in the restaurant's soups and salads. Richard Jones, co-founder of Gro For You, said that when people spend money here, they are not just enjoying a cup of coffee or a meal; they are actually helping to create opportunities for young people in the area, which has long been a problem.
Project leaders hope that the events dome, which seats 50 and offers panoramic views of the Dornoch Firth, will attract conferences, business events, and family celebrations. Sarah added that the site is a perfect stop between Inverness and the north, with goals including attracting corporate teams to hold leadership and management workshops here, as the campus essentially brings all elements together in one location.
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