WORK to bring life back into “a long-abandoned roofless ruin” has been recognised at a national awards ceremony.

The Ridge took over the Black Bull Close site in 2016 and work was carried out to breathe new life into the area. At the time, the building was filled with rubble and rubbish, and a long journey to turn it into a useful building has been one of intensive learning for The Ridge’s stonemasonry and joinery teams.

Now, the efforts have been recognised after the Dunbar-based group won the SPAB (Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings) award for Sustainable Heritage.

A spokesperson for the group said: “The apprentices, employed by The Ridge Foundations CIC (a subsidiary of the charity), were all facing various personal challenges, and have found the process of restoring this difficult site to be a process of personal regeneration also, with skills developed which have been praised in the highest terms by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), and now having earned this prestigious accolade. They have ongoing access to The Ridge’s support team, who have supported them to succeed against the odds in sustaining their apprenticeships and excelling in their new craft.”

Work on the 18th-century site has not involved plastic or oil-based materials, instead looking to reuse local, natural products wherever possible.

Chimney pots were donated from properties around High Street, floor planks were retrieved from a worm-eaten floor also on the street, and timber for windows and doors came from a wind-blown local cedar, milled at Phantassie, near East Linton.

The spokesperson added: “The end uses for the building, now known as Roger’s Land (after the HES technical advisor Roger Curtis who supported it from the outset) include a ground-floor workshop, where young people from across the county’s six [secondary] schools learn joinery skills as part of their National Progression Award in Construction Skills.

“It is likely this would have been a workshop historically, so it is pleasing to return it to practical use.

“The upstairs room is a beautiful and much sought-after space which has hosted dance classes, yoga, creative workshops, meetings and advice sessions. It is used by The Ridge’s own teams, but also by other community groups and, once the rest of the Close is complete, it will be available for public hire.

“The project has demonstrated the power of community to effect sustainable long-term change for people and place simultaneously.

“The skills learnt on this building are part of ensuring we have a skilled workforce to help restore and maintain the wider built heritage across Dunbar’s conservation area and beyond.

“In the short-term, the learning is being brought to bear on the building opposite within the Close, as part of a major restoration/newbuild project which will see exciting and much-needed new spaces made available, including a support centre and training kitchen.”