Published: 09 Sep 2019
Community groups will now be able to explore their creative side through a diverse range of arts and crafts activities, thanks to Awards for All funding.
A total of 136 community projects across Scotland will share £952,883 of National Lottery Awards for All funding to enable people take part in arts, sport, social, environmental, health related, educational and other community activities.
A variety of creative projects ranging from film making to theatre have been supported in the latest round of Awards for All funding including Moray Arts Development Engagement (M:ADE), Arran TheatreTrust, CREATE Paisley, Aeriel CIC and Camcorder Guerrillas, amongst others.
Awards for All is a joint awards programme from The National Lottery Community Fund, Creative Scotland and sportscotland.
Gary Cameron, Interim Director of Strategy, Creative Scotland, said: “We are delighted to support these fantastic projects through our Awards for All partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund and sportscotland.
“With music, film making and visual art, these projects again demonstrate the creativity of communities across Scotland and the importance of National Lottery funding in its 25th year.”
M:ADE will deliver a series of creative projects throughout Moray. The projects will be developed by community groups and the resulting work will be displayed in M:ADE’s gallery in Moray, The Portal.
Stacey Toner,Director,M:ADE, said: “Thanks to the support of Awards for All, M:ADE is able to plan a number of creative community projects across Moray over the next 18 months. We are very excited to collaborate with local artists and empower individuals and groups to shape and direct activities.”
Awards for All will support Arran Theatre Trust to run free workshops for talented young people on Arran. Covering traditional fiddle, singing, drama and poetry, the workshops will culminate in an oratorio performed by the community choir at the McLellan Arts Festival.
Heather Gough,Chair, Arran Theatre and Arts Trust said: “The funding from Awards for All has enabled the McLellan Arts Festival to bring a nationally acclaimed poet and gifted musicians to work with the young people of Arran who, because of their geographical location, have few, if any, such opportunities to sample the best of the arts.”
CREATE Paisley will deliver two programmes investigating whether taking creative projects into communities experiencing high levels of deprivation is a viable alternative to operating from a central hub.
Alan Clark, Project Manager, CREATE Paisley, said: “Funding from National Lottery Awards for All will help CREATE Paisley develop more high-quality creative workshops and help more young people throughout Renfrewshire.
“The award will also support us to develop our model of work, develop new partnerships and ultimately support more young people to be transformed through creativity, community, confidence and finding their voice.”
Aeriel CIC will deliver music workshops for adults with diverse and complex needs in hard-to-reach communities in rural areas of Dumfries & Galloway.
Stuart Wood PhD MBE,Founder and Director Aeriel CIC, said: “These sessions establish key musical factors of trust, confidence in making music, and a curiosity to meet with others who may live in the same village or nearby.
“Our aim is to translate musical experience into social capital that can become a resource for health promotion over time.”
Camcorder Guerrillas will receive funding for REFUGEE TV, a project will enable individuals with experience of seeking refuge or asylum in Scotland to share their experiences with audiences through short films.
A Camcorder Guerrillas spokesperson said: “REFUGEE TV is brand new digital channel from Camcorder Guerrillas celebrating the wonderful skills and creativity of people who have come to Scotland seeking asylum or refuge.
“Awards for All funding will pay for filmmaker support, distribution and expenses for people taking part - the project would not take place without it.
Media contact: Claire Thomson, Media Relations & PR Coordinator, Creative Scotland | T: 0141 302 1708 | E: claire.thomson@creativescotland.com
