National Islands Plan: annual report 2023

Arts, Culture and Language

Strategic objective 11 – Support arts, culture and language

Commitment 11.1 Invest in our cultural and historic resources, to ensure that islanders are encouraged to engage with, and participate in, arts and culture.

Implementation Route Map 2023

• Many continuing projects such as Ceolas, Feisean nan Gaidheal, An Comann Gaidhealach, the Heritage Forum and centres such an Lanntair, Kildonan Museum, Taigh Chearsabhagh, Sabhal Mor Ostaig Urras Oighreachd Gabhsainn contribute to this objective.
• Working with partners, EventScotland will continue to raise Scotland’s reputation as the perfect stage by supporting and securing a portfolio of events and developing the events industry. EventScotland will continue to maintain constant awareness/alignment with wider Scottish Government and VisitScotland initiatives that focus on the islands.
• ‘Themed Years’ present a unique collaborative platform for a number of partners to work in closer collaboration to achieve shared goals and generate stronger partnership working to deliver sustainable economic development in the linked sectors of culture tourism and events. Creating a rich and varied events programme is a central aspect of the Themed Year approach.

Promotion of Gaelic arts and culture

The Scottish Government’s Gaelic and Scots Division champions various cultural and educational initiatives that enable access to arts and culture. Our support of island based cultural venues, such as Cnoc Soilleir in South Uist and Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle in Islay, provide innovative modern facilities for the celebration of local Gaelic heritage. The Division also funds Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s Dìleab project which showcases the cultural history of the Outer Hebrides and creates opportunities for intergenerational learning. The online archive Tobar an Dualchais is a vital resource for accessing Gaelic songs and traditions collected by the School of Scottish Studies since the mid-20th century. Its benefits can be seen, among other places, in the inspiration it provides contemporary Scottish musicians to adapt traditional Gaelic music for a modern audience. Through initiatives such as these, and our funding of the work done by bodies like Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, MG Alba and Stòrlann, the Scottish Government is working to ensure that the arts and culture of island communities are encouraged. Our ongoing work on the Scottish Languages Bill and the Scottish Government response to the Report on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic will build on this.

EventScotland

In 2023, EventScotland provided almost £200,000 of funding from their national and international programmes to support nine events in island communities. These included: Hoy on Hoy, Orkney Folk Festival, Tiree Music Festival (cancelled due to severe weather), HebCelt, Tall Ships Lerwick, Leaving Home Exhibition and Western Isles Tattoo Metagama, Orkney International Science Festival, Beatson’s Building Supplies Mull Rally, and BWA Tiree Wave Classic.

Following Shetland’s successful hosting of this event in 2005, the 2025 Orkney Island Games will offer an opportunity to highlight the profile of Orkney and, more generally, Scotland’s island communities as hosts of international sporting events. Please see commitment 7.8 for more information on the Island Games.

The refreshed National Events Strategy identifies the importance of effective partnerships across national and local public and private sector bodies to fully harness the potential of Scotland’s islands as events destinations.

Working with partners, EventScotland will continue to raise Scotland’s reputation as the perfect stage through sustained development of the events industry and by supporting and securing a portfolio of events. EventScotland will continue to maintain constant awareness/alignment with wider Scottish Government and VisitScotland initiatives that focus on the islands.

Creative Scotland

In 2023, Creative Scotland awarded over £500,000 to applicants, both individual and organisational, based in island communities through open and targeted funding programmes.

Through the Regularly Funded Organisation programme, Creative Scotland supported eight organisations based in island communities with investment in the financial year 2022-23 totalling over £2.2 million. The Touring Network (Highlands and Islands), which supports organisations in island communities, received £120,000. Additionally, Creative Scotland delivered funding via their Youth Music Initiative Formula Fund to each local authority area in Scotland, including islands.

Further support for activities in island communities will come from national organisations such as the Gaelic Books Council, Scottish Book Trust and Hands Up for Trad.

Creative Scotland are also a part-funder of the Shetland Arts Development Agency which hosted the 2023 Shetland Film Festival. “Home Made” was a specific film category at the festival showcasing films which feature Shetland dialect. Entries were judged by Shetland ForWirds, a group of volunteers who are passionate about the Shetland dialect branch of Scots language and hold a variety of events and activities in Shetland to promote the local language.

National Performing Companies

In order to maintain the status of a National Performing Company (NPC) the five NPCs must ensure that a range of high quality performances take place across the country.

In 2023 the Scottish Ballet, the Scottish Opera and the National Theatre of Scotland took productions to island communities. Additionally, the Scottish Ballet runs a specific programme for individuals with multiple sclerosis living in Orkney.

Commitment 11.2 Support, develop and promote the creative talents of islanders, and ensure that the culture of Scotland’s islands has a wide audience both nationally and abroad.

Implementation Route Map 2023

• Many continuing projects such as Ceolas, Feisean nan Gaidheal, An Comann Gaidhealach, the Heritage Forum and centres such an Lanntair, Kildonan Museum, Taigh Chearsabhagh, Sabhal Mor Ostaig Urras Oighreachd Gabhsainn contribute to this objective.
• Working with partners, EventScotland will continue to raise Scotland’s reputation as the perfect stage by supporting and securing a portfolio of events and developing the events industry. EventScotland will continue to maintain constant awareness/alignment with wider Scottish Government and VisitScotland initiatives that focus on the islands.

The Scottish Government’s Gaelic and Scots Division supports a range of cultural and educational initiatives that develop and promote the creative talents of islanders. Stakeholders such as MG Alba, Fèisean nan Gàidheal and Ceòlas Uibhist provide islanders with training and career paths in broadcasting, music and performance. An Comunn Gàidhealach and the Royal National Mòd continue to encourage participation in the musical and literary heritage of Gaelic-speaking communities. The engagement of these bodies and programmes with Gaelic medium and Gaelic learner education ensures that the culture and creativity they foster are integral to the school experience in these communities. Furthermore, they enable audiences across Scotland and further afield to participate in these aspects of Scottish island culture. A notable recent example comes from the expansion of FilmG, the Gaelic short films competition, to Canada as part of Nova Scotia’s 2023 Gaelic month.

Creative Scotland

Island local authorities are partners in the Visual Arts and Craft Maker Awards programme which supports visual artists and craft makers in their creative development.

Creative Scotland is a partner in the Culture Collective, led by Shetland Arts to support artists and collaboration across the northern and western islands.

Other Creative Scotland funding, while not specifically targeted on applicants whose base postcode is on an island, can also support island culture. For example, North Ayrshire Council’s Place Partnership with Creative Scotland includes support for an Islands Arts Coordinator who works to support development on Arran and Great Cumbrae.

Islands Heritage and Culture Project

Promoted by the Scottish Government’s Islands Team, the Islands Heritage and Culture Project continued in 2023-24 with £210,000 divided equally between the six island local authorities to support initiatives that actively safeguard and promote local heritage and culture. In each case the local authority, or a nominated local charitable body, is delivering initiatives that link to local development priorities and utilise local creative talent to widen the socio economic benefits derived through the celebration of the arts, language and dialect in island communities.

Ongoing activities include:

Orkney Digitalisation Project

The Orkney Digitisation Project has worked to improve digital connectivity, accessibility and awareness of Orkney Islands Council’s collections, museums and visitor attractions. The primary focus is establishing an online catalogue showcasing a digitised collection of thousands of historical pieces. The foundation has been the creation of a new website, which has helped promote Orkney’s heritage, arts, and culture. The online digital catalogue of Orkney Museums and Orkney Archives collections (example) will be accessible worldwide.

Ongoing digitisation work has seen over 1,000 museum objects digitised. Free to access 3D models of the collection have been created. The online catalogue will continue to grow throughout 2024.

Angus Og Project – Skye and Lochalsh Archives

The Angus Og Project, delivered in partnership with High Life Highland, showcases cartoonist Ewen Bain’s original drawings. Work has been undertaken by a dedicated Archives Project Officer, supported by local experts, to conserve, catalogue, and digitise the collection. “The Angus Og Collection” exhibition is being held at the Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre until May 2024. It has toured the western Highlands and Islands, where creative workshops and educational activities have been held to explore island life through graphic art.

As part of the project, a number of educational events have taken place including storytelling sessions, numeracy workshops, a cartoon ceilidh, Schools Out Comic Club, and an innovative afterschool program Tir nan Og which fosters community-focused literacy, numeracy, and creativity.

Shetland Culture and Heritage Hub: Community Connections

Following the creation of a Cultural and Heritage Forum linking local museums and heritage organisations throughout Shetland, the first-ever Heritage Conference was held in Spring 2023. As a result of improved engagement with the heritage and cultural community, a new ‘Community Connections’ network in Shetland was launched to deliver a programme of skills development in partnership with Shetland Heritage Association.

Planning has begun on a new touring exhibition for 2024 called ‘Island Connections’, which aims to celebrate Shetland’s distinctive sense of identity by touring objects from local museum collections in all accredited museums in Shetland.

Outer Hebrides Heritage Trails

The Outer Hebrides Heritage Trail project, developed by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s Heritage Service Team, aims to build synergy between the various community and heritage groups in the Outer Hebrides, to develop trails which link them all, thereby supporting future growth in the heritage sector, addressing sustainability issues and spreading the economic benefits of tourism.

An Heritage Trails Development Officer has travelled the length of the islands consulting with community organisations and other relevant stakeholders to establish the potential for developing trails. Stakeholder surveys were issued following discussions and closed at the end of 2023. The survey results will be utilised to inform future themes for heritage trails.

The Culture and Heritage of Arran and Cumbrae: Arran Geopark

The main objective of the project is to gain UNESCO Global Geopark status for the area covering the Isle of Arran, Holy Isle, Pladda, and the surrounding seabed. An application was submitted to UNESCO in November 2023. Arran Geopark’s development has been intertwined with the creation of Arran’s Local Island Plan. The Plan’s key strands of environment, community and economy are synergistic with the aims of the Global Geoparks Network.

Cultural and heritage activities held in 2023 included “geoheritage” learning opportunities and Gaelic language interpretation, guided walks, talks, and volunteer work meets. A network of the Geopark’s Management Group and Trustees is highly representative of the island’s rich culture and heritage. During 2023, the group was extended to include artists, scientists, education practitioners, businesses, heritage organisations, and land managers.

Opportunities for the Argyll Islands and Increased Visitor Footfall

During 2023, the Culture, Heritage and Arts Assembly, Argyll and Isles (CHARTS), implemented Ràmh, a development framework designed to help address cultural needs across islands in Argyll and Bute. Working collaboratively with island-based practitioners and organisations to support the development of networks, projects and opportunities for increased footfall, Ràmh also acted strategically to attract additional project funding resulting in the engagement of residents and visitors in workshops and events.

During 2023, a total of 829 people participated in Ràmh associated arts and heritage projects, network-building workshops and events, including thirteen practitioners who were given one-to-one creative business mentoring support. A Ràmh consultation toolkit was created for engagement with residents under thirty years of age and three new CHARTS member networks were created on the Isles of Bute and Mull with Ràmh support linked to the CHARTS Steering Group, enhancing strategic organisational development.

During 2024, CHARTS will further support cultural infrastructure with a collaborative approach, increasing network development support that responds to need identified by individual practitioners, arts and heritage organisations/festivals, with key plans to include the creation and development of visitor trails and increased skills-building opportunities for young island residents.

Commitment 11.3 Support all of Scotland’s indigenous languages and dialects in ways that are relevant to the communities where these are spoken.

Implementation Route Map 2023

• Island Communities Impact Assessments will support this process following the 2022 update to the Guidance and Toolkit.
• Quarterly meetings are established between the Gaelic and Scots Team, the Islands Team and Bòrd na Gàidhlig to support this process.

The Scottish Government’s support of Gaelic medium and learner education helps Gaelic speaking communities guarantee the language’s local transmission as well as drawing new speakers to it. Examples of this support include our funding for the educational publisher Stòrlann which produces Gaelic learning materials suited to the language’s community contexts. The Gaelic and Scots Division’s funding of capital projects like South Uist’s Cnoc Soilleir centre and Islay’s Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle provide modern venues where Gaelic heritage can be encountered in an innovative way.

The Scottish Government’s support of Gaelic broadcasting, through funding of MG Alba, enables the production of television, radio and online productions which reflect the needs and interests of island based Gaelic communities.

Among the major activities of the Gaelic and Scots Division is its support of Bòrd na Gàidhlig. A significant aspect of that is the development of the National Gaelic Language Plan and the wider system of public body Gaelic Language Plans produced on its behalf – including the Scottish Government’s own plan. This system guarantees that public bodies based in Gaelic communities support the language, provide services within it and consider ways to incorporate Gaelic into their daily operations. It also places an onus on public bodies to pre-emptively consider the impacts of their policies on the language and its communities. In addition to the work of Gaelic language planning, Bòrd na Gàidhlig also funds a wide range of individual and community initiatives across the islands which contribute to the vitality of the language in its local settings.

Islands Programme – An Taigh Mor project

Through the 2023-24 round of the Islands Programme, we offered Comhairle nan Eilean Siar a grant of up to £78,350 to progress the design of An Taigh Mòr, a Grade 2 listed building. The preservation and redevelopment work will ultimately provide space for community use of a size and nature not available elsewhere locally and increase opportunities for the community to engage with its history, language, and culture in an appropriate setting.

Commitment 11.4 Ensure that the commitments in this plan are informed by and aligned with the commitments in the National Gaelic Language Plan, working closely with Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

Implementation Route Map 2023

• The Scottish Government’s Gaelic Language Plan outlines its alignment with the National Gaelic Language Plan. The SG Islands Team is represented on the Scottish Government’s Gaelic Implementation Group. This meets twice yearly and is a forum for ensuring our policy area fulfils the commitments of both the National and Scottish Government Gaelic Language Plans.
• We will continue to work closely with Bòrd na Gàidhlig as members of the National Islands Plan Delivery Group which was established to oversee implementation of the National Islands Plan.

The Scottish Government’s Gaelic Language Plan is produced within the framework of the National Gaelic Language Plan. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the aims of the National Gaelic Language Plan are reflected in wider policy work, including through the delivery of the National Islands Plan.

Commitment 11.5 Ensure that the effect on Gaelic language development is considered from the outset in island-specific policies and initiatives and that these link to statutory Gaelic language plans.

Implementation Route Map 2023

• Island Communities Impact Assessments will support this process following the 2022 update to the Guidance and Toolkit which now includes consideration of impact on Gaelic speaking communities.
• The latest SG Gaelic Language plan has corporate service aims to ensure the equal prominence of Gaelic and encouragement to use Gaelic in communications.
• Representatives on the Scottish Government’s Gaelic Implementation Group ensure their policy areas are mindful of the language and that, where possible, policies serve to advance Gaelic.

The Scottish Government’s Gaelic Language Plan places a commitment on all parts of government to consider the impacts of their policies upon Gaelic and Gaelic speaking communities. This commitment is pursued through the Scottish Government’s Gaelic Implementation Group. The latter features representatives from across directorates who ensure that work undertaken within their policy areas is assessed for its potential impact upon Gaelic. The Scottish Government’s Islands Team has individual representation on the group in addition to the wider representation provided by the Directorate for Agriculture and Rural Economy.

Please see commitments 10.8 and 11.6 for more information on corporate policies on the use of Gaelic in official communications.

Commitment 11.6 Work with public authorities and community groups in increasing the use and visibility of Gaelic in Gaelic speaking island communities.

Implementation Route Map 2023

• The Gaelic & Scots team has prepared the new Scottish Government Gaelic Language Plan. This contains corporate service aims to ensure the equal prominence of Gaelic in SG logo and branding, the prominence of Gaelic signage in SG offices, and commitments to use Gaelic in our public communications and corporate publications. Other SG agencies, such as Social Security Scotland, provide bilingual material relating to their services and discussions are ongoing with island based SG offices to increase their Gaelic provision.
• The Gaelic Implementation Group established under the plan is an ongoing opportunity for colleagues across the Scottish Government to support Gaelic through their work and the Islands Team, along with other parts of the Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate, are represented on it.
• A number of Gaelic development officers from different organisations are based in island communities with the aim of increasing the use and learning of Gaelic. To help organise their efforts a Gaelic Development Officers Network has recently been formed with support from Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

The Scottish Government’s Gaelic Language Plan contains a commitment to increase the use of Gaelic signage in offices and hubs. For example, Gaelic first versions of Scottish Government branding and signage are available for use in island based offices alongside guidance for their use.

The publication of the Report on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic in June 2023 was the product of a short life working group established with a remit to consider how Gaelic could be better incorporated into all aspects of social and economic life in Gaelic speaking island communities. A steering group is currently in place to consider the report’s recommendations and it will publish a response in the first half of 2024.

The Scottish Languages Bill seeks to build on work currently in place to increase the use and visibility of Gaelic in island communities. This is especially significant in the Bill’s provisions for areas of linguistic significance. These build on an increasing demand in recent years for a greater community focus within language policy and it aims to enable community groups to play a greater role in local Gaelic development.

Commitment 11.7 Work with relevant authorities to improve Gaelic provision for Gaelic speaking island communities in delivering their functions and services.

Implementation Route Map 2023

• The Gaelic & Scots team has prepared the new Scottish Government Gaelic Language Plan. This contains corporate service aims to ensure the equal prominence of Gaelic in SG logo and branding, the prominence of Gaelic signage in SG offices, and commitments to use Gaelic in our public communications and corporate publications. Other SG agencies, such as Social Security Scotland, provide bilingual material relating to their services and discussions are ongoing with island based SG offices to increase their Gaelic provision.
• The Gaelic Implementation Group established under the plan is an ongoing opportunity for colleagues across the Scottish Government to support Gaelic through their work and the Islands Team, along with other parts of the Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate, are represented on it. The Faster Rate of Progress Initiative and COHI also have a role here and Gaelic is emphasised in these gatherings.

Through the Faster Rate of Progress initiative, the Scottish Government’s Gaelic and Scots Division brings together the main public authorities responsible for Gaelic to consider how provision for the language can be improved. While the initiative, like Gaelic policy, is national in focus it has a pronounced emphasis on matters affecting island communities. This is seen in the composition of its five workstreams, where Comhairle nan Eilean Siar acts (with Bòrd na Gàidhlig) as lead body for Community Engagemment while Highlands and Islands Enterpise acts as lead body (with Skills Development Scotland) for the Economy and Labour Market.

Commitment 11.8 Support approaches that promote the sustainable management of the historic environment.

Implementation Route Map 2023

• Our Past, Our Future: The Strategy for Scotland’s Historic Environment is our refreshed five-year strategy for Scotland’s historic environment which speaks to our shared heritage, and reflects the positive impacts the historic environment has for people and communities across the country and the beneficial role it will play in our future lives.
• Its three key priorities are: Delivering the transition to net zero, Empowering resilient and inclusive communities and places, and Building a wellbeing economy.

The Scottish Government’s investment in culture and heritage continues to support Scotland’s inspiring creativity, unique historic environment, and world-class collections, ensuring these are cared for and enjoyed by new and diverse audiences as well as future generations right across Scotland.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) will continue to promote access to our historic environment and high-quality places and buildings.

HES is at the forefront of investigating and researching the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future. HES continues to protect historic places through designations and consents, promotes sustainable development, and provides circa £14 million each year to local communities to repair and revitalise the historic environment.

Additionally, HES provides advice and guidance about the historic environment, offering a wide range of training and learning opportunities.