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Community payback at DunCarron Fort
14/07/2009
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill visited the site of DunCarron Medieval Fort to find out how offenders are paying back their community by helping to create a tourist attraction.
The Clanranald Trust is building a full-scale replica of a Motte and Bailey Fort which will be used for local education, as well as tourism. North Lanarkshire Community Service is helping with the building work - with over 7,000 man hours contributed, so far.
DunCarron Fort is situated in Carron Valley Forest near the border between North Lanarkshire and Falkirk.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said:
"In the year of homecoming it is important that we preserve our past. Those who have harmed our communities have a role to play. What better way in the year of homecoming than getting them to restore and preserve our past, to help atone for their offending?
"We need a good range of projects and work that offenders can carry out. I've seen projects across Scotland ranging from gardening to cleaning park benches, but this is the first one I've seen where they are helping to build a tourist and educational attraction.
"Helping with work to recreate a full scale replica of a medieval motte and bailey fort is an innovative and creative example of what a community service project can achieve.
"This can help payback the community by providing local education opportunities and boosting the local economy by attracting tourists to the area. It is also making sure offenders work hard during their community payback, that's why I believe this is a good example of what the system can achieve.
"We need to have a system in Scotland that gets offenders working to pay back their community quickly and effectively. The Scottish Government has recently invested an additional £5.5 million to help make sure this happens. "