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Funding setback for proposed Ceòlas centre

October 12, 2015

ceolasbuildWEB

by Iain Smith

Plans to establish a purpose-built Gàidhlig music, culture and heritage centre in South Uist have been thrown into doubt after a bid to secure funding from the Big Lottery Fund was unsuccessful.

Ceòlas, working in partnership with Lews Castle College UHI, is leading plans to establish the ambitious £9.56million centre. Together they proposed to erect a purpose-built education and performance centre that would provide year-round education alongside performances of an international standard in music, song and dance as well as other aspects of Gàidhlig culture and heritage. Detailed plans for the new centre had been drawn up and, after consultation with the local community, a site was identified for the new facility in Daliburgh.

Ceòlas recently submitted a funding bid for £1.365 million towards the cost of the project to the Big Lottery Fund.  However, it has emerged that at this stage the Big Lottery Fund has declined to offer the project any funding.

It had been hoped that the new centre would be completed by June 2017.

However, despite the disappointment of the failed bid,  Ceòlas chair Mary MacInnes insists that efforts to secure funding from other sources will continue.

“We are obviously very disappointed that our application to the Big Lottery Growing Community Assets fund was unsuccessful,” she said.

“Nevertheless, we remain very confident about the project’s viability and are positive about the wide-reaching social and economic benefits that it will bring to our community.  We are continuing to work closely with our partners at Lews Castle College UHI to identify alternative funding sources to make up the shortfall in our capital investment plan.”

Ceòlas is already preparing other funding applications, and the board will meet later this month to discuss the way forward for the project.

Photo: Visualisation of the proposed new centre at Daliburgh (John Renshaw Architects)

This article was edited on 14th October 2015 (1629).

Filed Under: Art, Heritage, Music, News Tagged With: Big Lottery Fund, Ceòlas, Daliburgh, Lews Castle College, South Uist, UHI

End of year showcase for local art students

May 22, 2015

Michelle Letowska, Dennis Magee and Anne MacKenzie.

Michelle Letowska, Dennis Magee and Anne MacKenzie.

Art students from Lews Castle College UHI – based at Taigh Chearsabhagh – have marked the end of a successful academic year with the opening of the annual Open Studio exhibition last night.

Running from now until 20th June, the show features work created using a variety of different media, ranging from drawing and paintings to sculpture and video-based pieces.

As ever, the launch of the exhibition was well attended, with friends and family members, alongside former students and art enthusiasts, keen to catch a glimpse of some of the work created by the students.

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Opening the exhibition, Anne MacKenzie, NC Art and Design Course Leader, thanked her fellow tutors Dennis Magee and Michelle Letowska, visiting lecturers, life models, staff at Taigh Chearsabhagh and the wider community for its support of the students and courses.

Addressing the students, she added: “You have all worked so hard and have been a joy to work with.

“Good luck for your future studies.”

IMG_1830

Lews Castle College UHI offers an NC in Art and Design and BA level 1 and 2 courses, with opportunities for full-time and part-time study. Courses are based at Taigh Chearsabhagh and applications for next session are welcomed.

No previous experience is required for the open access NC. It is considered ideal for portfolio preparation or those seeking to re-engage with art for a year or more, particularly adults returning to education.

More advanced students can study for the first two years of a degree in art, the remaining two years being completed through Moray College.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the courses can e-mail leart@uhi.ac.uk or telephone 01876 500 871.

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Filed Under: Art, News Tagged With: Art, Lews Castle College, Lochmaddy, North Uist, Open Studio, Taigh Chearsabhagh, UHI

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