Cash boost for Lochaber music group

A £ 5,000 boost from the Big Lottery fund means a Lochaber music group can continue to attract high calibre acts to the area.

Lochaber Music For All (LMFA), a not-for-profit organisation, organises five concerts between September and March each year bringing musicians from far and wide to play for the local community.

Assistant fundraiser David Hayes told the Lochaber Times the money had eased worries the group had last year about cash flow. ‘ We were worried about our cash flow and if we would have enough to pay the artists we had already earmarked. But our last two concerts have been extremely well attended,’ said David.

‘The Big Lottery money will cover our next season. What we really need though is people to come along to the concerts, because the whole point is bringing concerts to the local community for people to hear artists they would have had to travel to Glasgow or Edinburgh to hear. That costs a lot of money. Now they can hear them on their doorstep.’

Lochaber Music for All held its last concert of the season last Friday when renowned pianist Martin Roscoe performed at Lochaber High School to an audience of around 90 people.

David said: ‘We were really lucky to get Martin to play as he is internationally acclaimed.’ Martin, who has recently moved to Roybridge, told LMFA it was a privilege to play a concert in such a beautiful part of the world.

David thanked committee members for their hard work over the last season, in particular chairwoman Clare Reynolds.