Highland & Moray Fisheries Local Action Group Supports Year of Coast & Waters Celebrations
Island of Isle Martin Photo Credit: Caroline Williams
Thirty-three projects have received a share of £1,000,000 through the Highland & Moray Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG). The aim of this funding is to boost the local economy and create jobs within the fishing, aquaculture and maritime industries. The funding supports a total investment of over £2.5 million pounds when match funding is taken into account.
The funding has been awarded through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and Scottish Government to encourage community-led local development and enable localised decision making though FLAGs.
Successful applications to the fund included three community festivals to take place as part of Event Scotland’s Year of Coast & Waters 2020 celebrations that have been rolled over to 2021 due to the pandemic. Awards include £9,984 to Lyth Arts Centre towards the Northern Lights Festival to take place in and around Wick Harbour during 8th October-16th October 2021. The festival will be an immersive visual perspective exploring the heritage and history of the Far North of Scotland whilst honouring those who live and work here today. The festival will include daytime events, nightly pop-up performances, coastal culinary treats and a special closing procession.
Charlotte Mountford, Lyth Arts Centre Co-Director said “Lyth Arts Centre is incredibly excited to bring our first large-scale off-site festival to Wick Harbour. FLAG funding has been invaluable in allowing us make the event accessible to our local communities and supporting us in promoting the incredible Caithness coastline and our marine heritage.”
In Wester Ross, Isle Martin Trust are excited to be hosting Scotland’s first seaweed festival taking place between 6th and 12th September 2021. Receiving £14,056 FLAG funding support, the festival will celebrate all things seaweed and host a series of inspired events around and on the community owned island Isle Martin, situated 3 miles outside Ullapool.
Festival Curator Julia Barton “We are thrilled to be finally able to make this very special event happen. It’s certainly going to be a real joy to welcome visitors from both near and far to celebrate and learn more about - Seaweed - an extraordinary, yet often overlooked wonder of our marine environment.”
Receiving £10,619 FLAG funding support, Findhorn Bay Arts have held a series of events throughout the year as part of their Source To Sea Festival. The festival will culminate the weekend of 11th September where giant puppet STORM will walk the streets of Burghead, while the following day, Findhorn Bay Arts will host OceanAllOver. This will see a collaboration of visual poetry performances and music events involving dancers, musicians, and sculptural costume.
The Highland Council provides administrative support to the FLAG and to those applying to the fund through the employment of a local FLAG Development Officer.
Sarah Lamb, Development Officer for the FLAG said: “The FLAG budget has been committed for some time however the delivery of projects has been stalled due to the pandemic. I must say, the level of resilience and perseverance shown by community groups and businesses to find a means to deliver their projects in ever changing circumstances has been quite phenomenal. It’s so great to see them finally get over the finish line, and it will be particularly fitting to close the FLAG funding programme with the Year of Coast & Waters festivals, in a year where many have turned to our coastline for physical and mental well-being.”
*Please note that the Highland & Moray Fisheries Local Action Group budget is fully committed and is not open for new applications. Further information on the programme and projects funded please visit www.highlandmorayflag.co.uk
- Isle Martin Seaweed Festival – Ullapool – 6th-12th September https://www.islemartin.org/isle-martin-seaweed-festival-programme-v2/
- Source To Sea Festival – Findhorn - 11th & 12th September https://findhornbayarts.com/events/
Northern Lights Festival – Wick – 8th-16th October https://lytharts.org.uk/northern-lights-festival/