Scotland takes part in Olympics of arts thanks to £2.5 million lifeline

Ten projects around Scotland have won part of a £2.5 million fund aimed at sharing the benefits of the arts throughout the nation this year.

Creative Scotland’s “First in a Lifetime” project is part of the biggest ever celebration of the arts north of the Border, which is being staged to coincide with the London Olympics.

An outdoor play which will transport audiences across Shetland by car, an extended tour of west-coast islands by Scottish Ballet and a project which will see giant masks sited in forests around the country have all been successful in applying for the money.

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The Scottish Book Trust has secured funding to take authors and illustrators of children’s books into schools across the country, while a series of arts events will be staged by young people around Aberdeen’s harbour. Elderly singers and dancers in Glasgow will join forces for a large-scale performance.

The projects are the first to be awarded financial backing from the “First in a Lifetime” strand of the Year of Creative Scotland, which is receiving at least £10m worth of public money.

Arts groups still have time to apply for funding for the second tranche of the programme, which is supposed to pay for “mass participation” in major artistic experiences – targeting people who are unlikely to have experienced the arts before.

Jazz concerts in community centres across Fife, all-boys dance workshops in Dundee and a celebration of the impact culture had on the original Green Olympics will also be held in Moray.

Creative Scotland, the national arts agency, has trumpeted 2012 as the biggest ever celebration of the nation’s creative industries.

Major events are being held across Scotland as part of the Cultural Olympiad funded by the UK government to raise the profile of the arts while the Olympics are held in London.

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These include a £1m sound and light spectacular on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, a classical concert in the shadow of Stirling Castle, and the creation of a full-size football pitch in the heart of a Borders forest for two matches.

VisitScotland has already confirmed it is putting in £2.5m towards the Year of Creative Scotland, including a special £500,000 grant from the Scottish Government.

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Andrew Dixon, chief executive of Creative Scotland, said: “The ‘First in a Lifetime’ programme will offer many more people the opportunity to see, explore and enjoy a rich cultural life and we have invested in projects that will have a visible and lasting impact.”

Mike Cantlay, VisitScotland’s chairman, added: “Our culture is one of our greatest assets and this project will introduce new opportunities to see, and experience Scotland’s vibrant culture in every corner in Scotland.”

Catherine Cassidy, Scottish Ballet’s associate director, said: “Our project is designed to bring out activities to seven communities identified as having very limited access to dance generally. We may work with parent and child groups, senior groups, sports groups, local football and rugby teams and established dance groups.”

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