Gaelic body ‘looking for ways to re-open community scheme’ Trad duo help tackle stigma
THE body responsible for promoting Gaelic development has said it continues to seek ways to keep a community scheme going amid major cuts.
This month, it was reported that the budget of Bord na Gaidhlig, the principal body in Scotland responsible for promoting Gaelic development, would be cut by the Scottish Government leading to the Gaelic development officer scheme being put in danger.
The board has now confirmed the cut to top-up funding of £354,000 affects 27 organisations which are part of the scheme. It is believed the contracts of two language planning officers and an education manager will also not be renewed in the next financial year.
Campaign group Misneachd Alba has written to Finance Secretary Shona Robison and Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth calling on the cuts to be reversed and Highland MSP Kate Forbes has said the scheme should be in the Board’s fixed budget, and not just top-up funding.
Bord na Gaidhlig told BBC News they are “still looking for ways to re-open the scheme and to continue the good work being done by the officers”.
The organisation also confirmed that it had not carried out an Island Impact Assessment (ICIA) “because there has been no change in policy or strategy”.
Campaigners have also highlighted the wider conversation of the amount of funding the body gets to promote the language.
A Scottish Government spokesperson previously said: “Over the past three financial years, the Scottish Government was able to identify additional short-term funding for Bord na Gaidhlig to allow it to expand the development officer network promoting Gaelic in bodies and projects.
“Despite the extraordinary financial challenges facing the Scottish Government, Bord na Gaidhlig’s core baseline funding has been protected. However, the additional short-term funding will not be able to continue.”
APAIR of young musicians will use the joy of music to help end stereotypes and break down barriers for people with Down’s Syndrome.
Ester Strachan, a fiddle player from Skye, and Magnus Turpie, a button box player from Edinburgh, who both have Down’s Syndrome, embark on a tour of the island this month to perform in a number of schools, day centres and village halls as part of Down Syndrome Awareness week, which runs from March 18-24. They will be accompanied by Ester’s sister, Skye accordionist Iseabail Strachan and guitarist Dominic Blaikie from Edinburgh and together hope the music and craic will raise awareness and promote inclusion.
The tour is funded by Tasgadh Small Grants for Traditional Arts Fund administered by Feisean nan Gaidheal and funded by Creative Scotland and National Lottery. The musicians are also being sponsored by Don’t Screen Us Out, a group of more than 17,000 people with Down’s Syndrome, their families and supporters who are actively working to build a United Kingdom where people with Down’s Syndrome are equally valued and have an equal chance of being born.
Ester and Iseabail have been playing music together for many years. They held their first ever online Ester & Iseabail’s Kitchen Ceilidh in 2020 for World Down Syndrome Day live on
Facebook and have been holding regular events ever since. Ester is a member of this year’s Feis Rois Inclusive Ceilidh Trail and is looking forward to joining a band and playing at various venues across the country in the summer of 2024.
Ester said: “Magnus and I have faced barriers throughout our lives, including our involvement in traditional music, but we want attitudes to change and we want to have the same opportunities as everyone else.”