A Little About Us
Mu ur Deidhinn
Your Local Community Centre
Clan MacQuarrie Community Centre is situated in the coastal village of Borve in the North West
of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Clan MacQuarrie Community Centre is run entirely by its dedicated volunteer committee,
Its purpose is to provide a welcoming meeting place for the entire community of
North West Lewis and to encourage participation by the community in as broad a range of activities as possible, we have a space for everyone.
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In addition to our "community" function, Clan MacQuarrie offers a range of services to businesses and individuals and other charitable groups. Our packages are designed to suit any event,
from wedding receptions and/or wedding dances to meetings and social gatherings.
We also offer a broad range of catering options for practically any type of event,
the most popular being our Weddings meals, dinner functions and buffets for parties, ceilidhs and meetings. Drama and music performances are also well served by our modern and
high-specification sound and lighting equipment.
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Clan MacQuarrie prides itself on delivering a first class professional service in all aspects
of its activities. User requirements are of paramount importance and every care is taken
to ensure that all individuals and groups who use the facilities are left delighted with their experience of the Centre and its volunteers.
Where we got our name
The Clan MacQuarrie Story
On January 31 1953, the night of what became known as the Great Storm that wreaked havoc and brought tragedy to much of Northern Europe, islanders from the Borve area of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides rescued 66 crew from the grounded cargo ship, Clan MacQuarrie. In driving rain and ferocious winds, gusting to 100mph, it was the biggest ever rescue carried out using breeches buoy in a single operation. Miraculously, there was no loss of life.
As a gesture of thanks for the community's amazing efforts, the ship's owners, Clan Line, paid for a village hall to be built.
Fifty years on, the hall had passed its useful life. Plans were made to replace it with a multi-purpose £750,000 community centre to serve the whole of the West Side of Lewis. The ambitions of the local community were realised in April 2009, with the completion of the modern and spacious Centre at Borve.
Our Volunteers
Clan MacQuarrie Community Centre is run entirely by its dedicated volunteer committee,
which currently numbers fifteen members representing a cross-section of the local community.
Funders
The following groups and organisations have been main contributors to the fundraising effort required to achieve completion of the Centre.
We are indebted to all of them for their assistance with our project and for enabling us to bring it to fruition:
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Highland & Islands Enterprise, Caledonia Investments, Big Lottery Fund, Hebridean Housing Partnership,
BBC Children in Need, Scottish Community Foundation, Awards for All, The Hugh Fraser Foundation, Gannochy Trust, Help the Aged, The Robertson Trust, The Dulverton Trust, Lloyds TSB, Foundation for Scotland, Crofters Commission CCDS, The Rank Foundation, HBOS Foundation, North Lewis Carnival Committee, Duncan Mackay & Sons Ltd, Croileagan Bhuirgh, Comunn na Gaidhlig, O2, The Scottish Co-op Community Fund, Bibby Foundation, Fivepenny Borve Grazings Committee, Galson Grazings Committee, High Borve Grazings Committee, Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn, Airidhantuim Community Community Council
In addition to the above, we would like to thank sincerely Dr Gordon Anderson of Anderson Associates, who acted for us in all architectural matters, also as our CDM co-ordinator and as Project Manager. Gordon's assistance and his professionalism were vital to us at all stages of the project, not least in the very challenging days before our funding was finally secured.
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Finally, our thanks must go to all the individuals, organisations and businesses within our own local community who so willingly donated their time, energy and hard-earned cash at our numerous fundraising events over a 10 year period. The support provided locally was a constant source of encouragement to the Clan Macquarrie Community Centre committee members over that period and gave us the confidence to "go for it". Ceud Mile Taing Dhuibh Uile.