Craft Town Scotland Shortlisted in Creative Places Award 2012

We are delighted to announce that Craft Town Scotland, West Kilbride has been shortlisted in the Year of Creative Scotland: Creative Places Award - a £1 million open investment strand for communities in Scotland towns and villages to gain recognition for their creative and cultural tourism track record and build on their achievements.  The scheme will start in 2012 and run until 2014 with a series of awards being made.

There are three categories in the Creative Places Award, each with 3 shortlisted candidates who will go forward to be judged by a panel of experts, with the winners of each category announced at the end of January 2012.  Kay Hall, WKCIL Chair, is delighted by this latest success,

“To have such national recognition is a fabulous boost to all those involved in the development of Craft Town Scotland. It gives huge credibility to our local commitment and rewards our determination to regenerate our village in a creative and dynamic way”.

The Scottish Government committed to a series of focus years running from 2010 to 2013 to ensure co-ordinated national activity to spotlight some of Scotland’s great assets as we journey toward 2014 and a second year of Homecoming. Creative Scotland has been chosen as the key partner to work alongside Eventscotland in delivering The Year of Creative Scotland.

Maggie Broadley, Craft Town Scotland Creative Executive, submitted the application at the beginning of November and received an email on Tuesday informing her of the village’s success as one of the shortlisted candidates.  Maggie then had the difficult task of not sharing the good news until to-day’s formal announcement by Fiona Hyslop, the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs.  Maggie said,

“The Year of Creative Scotland 2012 coincides with an incredibly exciting time in our community’s development. Everyone at Craft Town Scotland is extremely proud to have been shortlisted for a Creative Place Award, which celebrates our nation’s creativity, culture and identity. This nomination in itself is a huge boost for West Kilbride, I wish to pay tribute to the volunteers, studio makers, local crafters, businesses and residents who all contribute so much to our success”.

North Ayrshire will also be represented in another category, with North Ayrshire Council’s application to the Creative Place Award based around developing its cultural strategy by building upon the Harbourside’s existing reputation as a cultural hub.

Here is the full shortlist:

Places with under 2,500 residents:

• The community of Creetown has a thriving creative community and a Creative Place Award would support the community to invite the National Symphony Orchestra to music workshops in the village as well as developing new projects for the younger residents.
• Kilmartin Glen: A Creative Place Award would support Kilmartin House Museum to develop Sounding Dunadd, a community performance on the ancient site of Dunadd Fort, alongside new projects to draw visitors to Kilmartin Glen.
• Wigtown would use its Creative Place Award to develop its hugely successful Book Festival into more year-round activity – including a residential creative writing course and a high-profile Wigtown Lecture.

Places with under 10,000 residents:

• Huntly developed strong links with the international creative community across the globe through its trailblazing town is the venue programme which involves people from all ages and backgrounds in projects spanning the traditional, contemporary and classical sectors. Next, Huntly wants to expand its Room to Roam programme by developing new collaborations, including a signature menu for the town.
• Prestonpans: The Prestoungrange Arts Festival would create an iconic public artwork during 2012, around a theme of ‘looking forward’, which will also feature in a range of events, workshops and art classes.
• West Kilbride: Craft Town Scotland would develop a new series of exhibitions for the The Barony Centre in West Kilbride and develop new programmes to involve younger, and older, members of the community in their creative programme.

Places with under 100,000 residents;

• Irvine Harbourside would work with organisations from the creative, heritage, tourism and commercial sectors, to develop a year-round cultural programme, centred on the Harbourside.
• In Perth, the local Cultural Partnership, led by the local authority, would support the delivery of high quality artistic outputs through the Living Communities project and, in partnership with the people of Perth, would identify a new local hero for a commissioned portrait.
• In 2012, St Andrews will be hosting the Year of Celebration and a Creative Place nomination would focus on the town’s already rich cultural programme, as well as exciting new events.

For further information please contact: Maggie M Broadley, Creative Executive, Tel: +44 (0) 1294 829179, Email: info@crafttownscotland.org

FH - NR - Year of Creative Scotland - 12 December 2011 Full