Lockerbie’s Hallmuir Ukrainian Chapel has been awarded a grant of more than £50,000 by South of Scotland Enterprise.
The funding will be used to pay for vital repairs to the grade-B listed building and make landscaping improvements.
It will also help to develop a small visitor centre and raise the profile of the site, with work being undertaken in collaboration with the South of Scotland Destination Alliance.
Mike Ostapko, a representative from Hallmuir, said: “It has been a long process to get to where we are today, and we have faced several unprecedented challenges along the way.
“Closing our doors to visitors during the pandemic made fundraising particularly difficult, but we knew we couldn’t give up on such an important pillar of our local Ukrainian community in Dumfriesshire. We are pleased to have now received funding from SOSE to get repair work under way to restore the chapel.
“It has proved a critical location for collection of donations during the ongoing Ukraine conflict and we hope it will continue to be an important venue for years to come.”
The chapel has been undergoing repairs and developments in phases since 2018, but progress has been hindered by the Covid-19 pandemic and a series of winter storms.
It did not qualify for any government grants or subsidies, which left the chapel less than halfway towards its target of £80,000 last summer.
However, in October 2021, Mike along with other representatives approached the enterprise agency and secured a grant for £52,777.
Its chairman, Professor Russel Griggs, said: “Supporting community-led projects like the Hallmuir Ukrainian Chapel is as important to SOSE as supporting businesses.
“The chapel is an asset to the local Lockerbie community, and it is vital that we do everything we can to help preserve buildings such as this, which are steeped in history and serve a very important purpose to the people that use them.
“Our funding will help to ensure the safety and longevity of the building so that it remains a key part of the local community for years to come.”
The building was first re-purposed as a chapel by Ukrainian prisoners of war after WW11 when more than 400 Ukrainian soldiers were sent to work on nearby farms and in forestry.
It has remained a venue of great importance over the years to the many Ukrainians who chose to stay in the Dumfriesshire area after the war and still regularly hosts church services.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the chapel also became a focal point for gathering humanitarian aid for those in need.
“This funding will enable the restoration of the chapel building and the opening of a visitor centre so that people can learn about their important work and history.”
