The Mike Hanna Staircase Appeal
Help us reinstate the staircase at Sorbie Tower — one step at a time.
Appeal progress
Each step = £2,000 · Names of donors engraved on a permanent plaque within the Tower
Rebuild the Spine
So
rbie Tower is the ancestral home of Clan Hannay — a scheduled ancient monument standing as a testament to our shared heritage. For too long, the tower’s turnpike (spiral) staircase — its very spine — has been lost, cutting off safe access to the upper floors and leaving them vulnerable to further deterioration.
The Mike Hanna Staircase Appeal, first launched at the Clan Hannay Gathering in 2024, seeks to reinstate the first 39 steps of this staircase from ground floor to second floor. This critical phase will stabilise the structure, allow restoration of the second floor, and open the upper chambers to visitors and future generations.
“Step by step, we will move onwards and upwards together.”
— Stephen Hanna, Convenor of Clan Hannay Society
THE MIKE HANNA STAIRCASE APPEAL
After taking advice from restoration specialist Simpson & Brown’s John Sanders, the Trustees of the Sorbie Tower Charity, along with the members of the Clan Hannay Society Clan Council, invite you to join them in committing fully to the next stage of the restoration of Sorbie Tower – the first 39 Steps and The Mike Hanna Staircase Appeal.
So why Mike Hanna? Mike was Clan Convenor Steve’s father. Steve lost his dad after a long and valiant fight with cancer of the oesophagus in 2023. In Steve’s words, “Dad took a keen interest in all my works with Clan Hannay and Sorbie Tower. It was he who first showed me the Clan Crest way back in about 1978, and that’s when the seed was sown, when I was just a wee boy of eight years old”
It was through the loss of his father that Steve came up with the idea for pushing forward with the staircase appeal. Steve launched the appeal at the Clan reception within the tower itself back in 2024. Donors are invited the join in the appeal by donating, and if they wish, naming a stair or stairs after a loved one. That step will be theirs for all time and a plaque to mark this will be erected for all our future visitors to read as they climb to the next floor.
It is now your chance to join Steve and donate towards this appeal. In memory of your loved one, together we can make this happen.
Thank You for your support.
Stephen P. Hanna
Convenor of Clan Hannay.
Where we are now
Exciting progress is underway. Since the appeal launched, Historic Environment Scotland required an independent engineering inspection and Scheduled Monument Consent for the tower’s temporary roof structure — both now on track for completion by May 2026, just in time for this year’s Clan Hannay Gathering.
On 20th April 2026, a team from Addyman Heritage Consultants joined our award-winning restoration architect, John Sanders of Simpson & Brown Ltd in Edinburgh, to begin the formal feasibility study for the staircase. Plans, cost estimates, and a full application to Historic Environment Scotland will follow. The same practice oversaw the acclaimed restoration of Fairburn Tower near Inverness — a project that in many ways provides the blueprint for Sorbie.
39
Steps to be reinstated,
ground floor to upper level
£ 2000
Cost per step — sponsor one
in memory of a loved one
£ 72,000
Of the appeal already funded:
momentum is building
Each donated step will be commemorated on a permanent engraved plaque within the tower, e.g. Mike E. Hanna 1937–2023, UK. Donors are invited to share the story of the person they honour, creating a lasting record for visitors to discover.
How to donate
All donations are ring-fenced exclusively for the staircase project. After donating, please email sphcb@aol.com to confirm your gift, payment method, total amount, and the name to be engraved.
Direct Bank Transfer
Bank Bank of Scotland
Account 00743899
Sort Code 80-17-86
Via Credit/Debit Card
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