Tag: Castlebrae High School

Creative Communities: Eleven local projects to receive arts funding

Communities across Scotland are to receive new funding to ensure everyone can benefit from the creative arts.

Eleven grassroots projects – including one involving pupils from Craigmillar’s Castlebrae High School – have been selected to receive a share of £320,000 from the Scottish Government’s Creative Communities Scotland fund, which supports organisations delivering activities such as dance, filmmaking, creative writing, music-making and storytelling.

The fund aims to support and empower communities to develop cultural activities that benefit individual and collective wellbeing, with a focus on reaching those who face barriers to taking part in creative activities

The programme will be managed by Inspiring Scotland, which will also provide project support to successful organisations while they plan, deliver and assess the impact of those activities.

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “Creativity can transform lives and create confidence within communities – so I’m very pleased that so many projects, from Galashiels to Orkney, Aberdeen and Govanhill, have been successful in their applications.

“These grants will enable community-led organisations to develop and deliver projects that harness the power of creativity in supporting people and the communities they serve.

“The Creative Communities Scotland fund forms part of a £34 million increase in support to the culture sector this year to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to take part in and benefit from the creative arts, no matter their background or location.”

Erica Judge, Director of Funds at Inspiring Scotland, said: “The high level of interest in Creative Communities Scotland shows the incredible potential of creative and cultural activities to positively impact people’s lives.

“By supporting 11 organisations working across 9 local authorities, this funding will help communities overcome barriers to cultural participation – creating opportunities to enjoy the arts, reduce loneliness, strengthen communities, develop new creative skills, and experience joy and pride.”

Dave Close, Executive Director of the Hot Chocolate Trust said: “Some young people are bursting with talent but can’t access the resources to make music and learn. Some have been told that they’re ‘not musical’. Some have got things they need to say but they can’t find the words yet.

“With support from Creative Communities, the Beautiful Noise project at Hot Chocolate Trust is about releasing all these new possibilities and making something special together.”

Creative Communities Scotland successful applicants 2025-26

A Place in Childhood – £20,034
Craigmillar, Edinburgh City

Working with 20 S1-S3 pupils from Castlebrae High School in Craigmillar, this participatory project will give young people a professional-grade experience of all aspects of film making: script development, filming, production, post-production, editing and finally a screening of their work.      

Camglen Buddies Leisure & Social Club – £11,933
Cambuslang/Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire

Working with a videographer and a theatre professional, adults with additional support needs will have the opportunity to produce their own film, addressing key aspects from storyboarding, creating sets/props, filming and finally, celebrating their production.      

Eildon West Youth Hub – £23,572       
Galashiels, Scottish Borders        

‘Chromonauts: Demolition Art’ is a year-long, youth-led visual arts programme for young people who face multiple barriers to creative participation. The project will work with young people to reclaim ‘overlooked corners’ of Galashiels to create new art-works/civic spaces.

Empower Women for Change – £29,372       
Glasgow City

Participants will co-design and co-facilitate a programme of creative arts activities called Freedom in Expression: Joy in Creativity. This will provide safe, culturally relevant spaces where women from ethnic minority backgrounds, particularly refugees and asylum seekers, can express themselves through creative writing, painting, clay, glassmaking, collage, yoga, mindfulness, and storytelling.  

ESOL Scotland – £34,293
Glasgow City

This year-long programme of workshops will integrate English language learning with film making and photography, contributing to a community exhibition and screening that ‘celebrates the voices and journeys of our learners’.   

Forgan Arts Centre – £33,439   
Newport-on-Tay, Fife        

Building on a previous pilot, the organisation will run two strands of creative workshops for adult and young carers. Working with professional artists, the workshops will focus on building creative participation, wellbeing, and connection between carers.

Friends of Sanday Kirk – £31,720       
Sanday Island, Orkney      

Focused around Sanday Kirk and a Craft Hub, the project will create three separate pieces of art using different techniques: community mosaic project, mural project on Craft Hub’s gable wall, and the design and construction of a herring-shaped public bench to celebrate the island’s fishing heritage and its former herring yard, benefiting the whole community.

Gorebridge Community Development Trust – £34,423         
Gorebridge, Midlothian      

The Create365 arts project aims to improve wellbeing for the community and reduce isolation through four strands of work: 1) weekly rhythm sessions focused on art, music and writing;  2) monthly themed sessions;  3) seasonal sessions; and, 4) a ‘big year’ showcase presenting the output from the three other strands.

Hot Chocolate Trust – £34,413  
Dundee City 

This project will provide a year-long set of music producing activities aimed at 12-21 year olds. These sessions will offer young people the opportunity to begin their engagement with music all the way through to exploring professional music pathways.    

Romano Lav – £32,448    
Govanhill, Glasgow City

Co-produced with community members and co-facilitated by Roma staff, this community arts programme will support participants of all ages and genders to take part in a range of art forms including visual/digital arts, storytelling, ceramics, film and photography. It will culminate in a final exhibition as part of the Govanhill International Festival.

Touch of Love Outreach – £34,291     
Aberdeen City        

The ‘New Young Scots: Fix & Design Lab’ will work with young people to collect, repair and redesign everyday items. Its aim is for the young people involved to gain practical and social skills, reduce isolation and celebrate identity and culture through arts-based upcycling.

303,000 children are receiving £25 weekly Scottish Child Payment

The Scottish Child Payment is now being received by the families of more than 300,000 children and young people, according to official statistics.

New figures published yesterday show that 303,000 children were receiving the payment at the end of March.

The total amount of the benefit paid out since its February 2021 launch now stands at £248.6 million.

Scottish Child Payment was extended to include all eligible children until their 16th birthday and increased to £25 per child per week in November last year.

First Minister Humza Yousaf, who yesterday visited Castlebrae High School to hear how the Scottish Child Payment is making a difference to families, said: “The game-changing Scottish Child Payment is designed to tackle child poverty head-on and lift families out of poverty.

“Families in Scotland are able to benefit from five family payments delivered by the  Scottish Government which could be worth more than £10,000 by the time an eligible child turns six and over £20,000 by the time an eligible child turns 16.

“I am pleased at the take up of the Payment but we still want to get that money to all of those eligible. I would encourage anyone who thinks they may be eligible to find out more and apply.”

Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of three critical missions for the Scottish Government and it will continue to tackle child poverty via its second child poverty delivery plan for 2022-26, Best Start Bright Futures.

Earlier this month the First Minister convened a cross-party anti-poverty summit to listen to the views of people with lived experience of poverty, the third sector, academics, campaigners and other interested parties.

The First Minister added: “The Scottish Child Payment is one of an ambitious range of actions to support families immediately and in the long term.”

Polly Jones, Head of Scotland at the Trussell Trust, said: “Everyone in Scotland should be able to afford the essentials but we know that more families are struggling than ever before.

“We have long called for the Scottish Child Payment to be increased and extended to all children up to 16 and so it’s very encouraging to see the positive impact this is making, reaching more families and getting more cash into the pockets of people who need support the most.”