FINDHORN BAY ARTS have been celebrating this week after learning that they had secured a £100,000 Creative Place Award.
The news came at a ceremony in Falkirk Town Hall when the 2015 recipients were announced in the presence of the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop.
Creative Place Awards are allocated each year to Scottish communities that demonstrate an ongoing commitment to culture. The awards aim to provide inspiration for people and visitors by encouraging and celebrating “exceptional creative programmes” taking place in towns and villages across the country.
This year the awards went to Stornoway and the Islands of Lewis and Harris, who received £125,000, Forres Area who will receive £100,000 and the Moniaive/Glencairn Parish who are to receive £50,000.
Kresanna Aigner, Director at Findhorn Bay Arts, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Forres Area has won a 2015 Creative Place Award! This award celebrates and acknowledges the creative energy and assets of the Forres area and sets us at the top of our game on a National level.
“The Forres Area Creative Places programme builds on the capacity of the area’s vibrant creative sector by seizing the momentum and energy generated by recent projects and events – now is the time and Forres Area is the place!
“Our Creative Place programme will showcase high quality, professional visual and performing arts, from small to large scale, and will widen and strengthen partnerships across communities and business.
“The resulting projects will delight, enthuse and engage a wide range of new and existing audiences, whilst raising awareness of the cultural, social and economic benefits to the area.”
Fiona Hyslop commented: “The Creative Place Awards celebrate all that is best about our communities in Scotland and recognise the hard work and imagination driving the cultural life of communities all over the country.
“There are exceptional creative programmes taking place in towns, villages and communities across the country and these awards demonstrate an ongoing commitment to supporting the development of projects that might not otherwise get recognition.”