Councillors have agreed to provide a £50,000 emergency bailout for the Scottish Crannog Centre.
The troubled Loch Tay tourist attraction reopened earlier this year following a catastrophic blaze in 2021.
But it is now facing “cash flow challenges due to factors beyond its control”.
And bosses have begged Perth and Kinross Council to throw it a lifeline.
The finance and resources committee agreed to underwrite the Crannog Centre by up to £50,000 on Wednesday afternoon.
The money will only be paid out if it is needed.
Council leader Grant Laing said the aim was to provide some “comfort” to the Crannog board in its current predicament.
Scottish Crannog Centre director Mike Benson said the team were grateful for the support, and would “continue to work as hard as we can to repay the faith people have shown in us”.
Crannog Centre request came late in the day
Mr Laing made a surprise plea for funding as the committee was preparing to debate an update to the council’s 2024/25 revenue budget.
He said: “Since the paper was published the council has been approached by the Crannog Centre.
“They are experiencing cash flow challenges due to factors beyond their control.”
He added: “I have asked officers to continue working with the Crannog board to get more of an understanding of these challenges.
“However, in order to provide a level of confidence to the Crannog board over the next few months I want to add further recommendation to the report.
“Simply I want to underwrite the Crannog Centre with a financial contribution of up to £50,000 from unearmarked reserves.”
Mr Laing said: “These moneys will only be paid if required.
“And I will delegate this to our chief finance officer to ensure everything is in order.
“I hope you can support this proposal and understand why it has come so late in the day.”
Fire would have tested any organisation
Perth and Kinross Council chief executive Thomas Glen revealed the Crannog board had asked for more than £50,000.
He said the organisation was in discussions with other potential funders, and the council money would only be needed if those talks fall through.
The original Scottish Crannog Centre at Kenmore was destroyed in a massive blaze in June 2021.
The fire tore through its showpiece crannog – a replica of an Iron Age dwelling house – which had sat on stilts in Loch Tay for a quarter of a century.
The £2.7 million replacement museum at Dalerb, on the other side of the loch, opened in the spring.
Scottish Crannog Centre director Mike Benson said he and the team were grateful for the council’s support.
“We have been working like the clappers to recover from the fire, which would have stretched the resilience of any organisation,” he said.
“Hopefully we will manage without the support the council is offering.
“There have been a few bumps in the road we are grateful for all the support we have received.
“And we are continuing to work as hard as we can, so we can repay the faith that’s been shown in us.”
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