Nelson's Tower in Forres to re-open after two years closed
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A Forres landmark is set to welcome back the public for the first time since the Coronavirus pandemic hit.
Nelson’s Tower has not been open since it closed for the season in September 2019.
But custodians Forres Heritage Trust (FHT) are now looking forward to welcoming back visitors on Saturday.
Trust chairman George Alexander said: "While we could have opened sooner, we take the safety of our volunteers and visitors very seriously.
"It’s only now that we feel that we can open the tower.
"Some fellow trustees, ably assisted by other volunteers, have worked extremely hard to find a way to get the tower open.
"We have had support from Moray Speyside Tourism who have visited to make sure that we're putting all we can in place to make the tower safe to visit.
"We will have a track and trace.
"People will also be required to wear masks and the trust will be providing disposable gloves.
"The gloves are required as there is a rope banister which goes up the staircase to the top.
"It's not possible to wipe this down in a way that we would be happy with."
The monument overlooking Grant Park from Cluny Hill usually opens every day from the start of April until the end of September.
However it will now just be open between 2pm and 4pm on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.
The trust is also hoping that more volunteers will come forward to help welcome visitors.
Peter Haworth who co-ordinates the volunteers said he was delighted the tower was opening for part of the season.
He added: "We are very excited to be opening up again.
"We may not have the wealth of overseas tourists that the tower usually attracts, but we are looking forward to welcoming those holidaying at home and locals who have missed being able to enjoy the views from the top."
"A number of our volunteers have decided they can no longer commit to doing stints, so we are also appealing for more people to support us so we can spread the bulk of the work.
"We only ask our volunteers to do one two-hour session a month, so it’s not too time consuming, although if people want to do more that is fantastic.
"All our volunteers are given training and an information pack on the history of the tower.
"It’s good fun and you get to meet so many different people."
Over 3302 people visited the tower in 2019.
The monument was built by public subscription in 1806, the year after Admiral Nelson's death during the Battle of Trafalgar.
It pre-dates Nelson's Column in London's Trafalgar Square by more than 30 years.
To find out more about Nelson’s Tower and volunteering with the trust, visit: www.forresheritage.co.uk
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