The community group behind a Moray project that aims to explore rural identities through acting, musical and visual arts workshops will learn today if they have secured a £50,000 grant.
Created by the Out of the Darkness Theatre Company, ‘My Rural, My Space’ was shortlisted in the final of the People’s Millions public vote.
Members of the project appeared on STV’s national news last night as they went head-to-head with Aberdeen project ‘The Golden Garden’ with the project attracting the greater number of votes receiving the funding.
If successful My Rural, My Space aims to use the funding for a series of workshops that encourage young, old and people with learning disabilities to talk about what it is like to live in a rural area.
A Social Media storm accompanied the Moray bid yesterday when individuals and groups throughout the region urged followers to vote for the only Moray project in the final shortlist for funding.
Tina McGeever from Out of the Darkness Theatre Company told viewers: “We have a chance to produce confident people who can believe in themselves as part of Moray, as part of our society, without being seen as somebody who does not have any abilities.
“We are giving them confidence, we are giving them a chance to actually show their talents.”
Martin McCoslin, who is a support worker in Moray, added: “I think we can use this to really put Moray on the map I would say, to give people a voice that they would not normally get.”
Even if the Moray group’s bid is not successful they have a second chance with a bonus payment being made to the runner-up this week that attracted the highest number of votes.
The winner will be announced on this evening’s six o’clock news bulletin.