A local trust on the Isle of Skye is seeking to establish a permanent heritage centre in Glendale, famous for its part in the crofters’ rebellion of the 1870s.

The Glendale Trust has applied to the Highland Council to lease the mothballed Borrodale School to be used as a heritage and cultural centre.

The plans have already won the support of the local community. After a public recent meeting to discuss the project, the audience voted unanimously in favour of the proposals.

The trust’s chair, Ian Blackford, said: “This is an important development for Glendale and we are most excited about the potential of building a heritage and cultural centre we can all be proud of and of course one that will tell the story of Glendale and its people.

“This initiative will encourage tourism to the north west of Skye and will create much needed jobs in a fragile community.

“We believe we have a strong case to put to Highland Council to allow us to use the school for the benefit of the community and sustaining the use of the building for an educational and social use.”

The crofters (people who have tenure and use of a croft) were the victims of the Highland Clearances in the 1880s, which led to protests, rent strikes and land raids, particularly in Skye.

The action led to the creation of The Crofters’ Holdings (Scotland) Act of 1886, which granted security of tenure to the crofters.