The National Trust for Scotland plans to introduce contactless donations at some of Scotland’s most famous heritage sites.

Two of Scotland’s most famous artefacts have been recreated at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and Fyvie Castle to include contactless payment machines. Visitors to both sites will be able to tap and donate cash as part of the ‘Tap the Past to Preserve the Future’ initiative.

The Trust said this will enable it to continue its work in protecting and preserving Scotland’s heritage. As contactless and digital payments continue to grow in popularity, the Trust said traditional cash donations were decreasing. This initiative will help modernise donation processes and generate valuable funding.

Challenging Times

In a blog post, the Trust announced it will partner with the Bank of Scotland and VISA as part of the initiative.

“We’ve been delighted to partner with Bank of Scotland and VISA on this amazing project to create these beautiful replicas and bring contactless donating to these two historic sites,” the post said.

Chief executive Simon Skinner said that the initiative “could not come at a more crucial time” for the Trust, as cash donations continue to fall.

“Like all charities, we face a significant fundraising challenge as cash donations have fallen sharply in recent years,” he said. “This initiative could not come at a more crucial time and will enable us to accept contactless donations at our sites for the first time.”

Figures released in June by UK Finance highlighted the ongoing contactless revolution. More than 13.2 billion debit card payments were made last year, rising 14% on the year previous. Compare this to the 13.1 billion cash payments made and the picture becomes clear; cash is becoming a thing of the past.

Tapping into Scottish History

Two of the recreated exhibits include a bust of Robert Burns at the Ayrshire-based museum, as well as an 18th-century painting of Colonel William Gordon by Pompeo Batoni at Fyvie Castle.

Recreating these has been a “mammoth collective effort”, the Trust said, and has included experts from across conservation, design, art and banking to incorporate modern tech devices with traditional artworks.

The Robert Burns bust was created using high-tech 3D scanning technology, which enabled experts to create a mould that captured every intricate detail of the original. Once the mould was scaled up to human proportions, details were added to the face and hair. A hand featuring an embedded contactless device is showcased next to the recreation.

To recreate the Fyvie Castle exhibit, the Trust hired a pastiche painter. In a blog post, the Trust explained the process

“A pastiche painter with many years’ experience re-created Fyvie Castle’s most famous painting by Pompeo Batoni. Spot the subtle new details added, such as the goddess Roma holding a contactless card and of course the contactless reader, painted using 18th-century-style brush strokes, in the hand of William Gordon himself.

“Scottish workers in high-vis jackets are also hidden within the painting – a nod to the Trust’s tireless conservation work. Once completed, toner was added by specialists at the British Association of Paintings Conservator-Restorers, to ‘un-restore’ the painting, matching the craft of the original.”

While the new contactless donation option is a significant move, visitors or enthusiasts can also donate to the National Trust for Scotland online.