NEW PAN MEMBERS 2008

Welcome back Skerray Hall, Caithness. David and Eloise Olyphant hope to take up the good promoting work once undertaken by Gavin and Kate Lockhart.

A-frames

PAN still has 2 new A-frames and some spare plastic covers. FREE to good and considerate homes.

Changes at NEAT and DGAA

NEAT
Sandy Maxwell has stopped working for North East Arts Trust, and will be loss to PAN as well. Sandy and his work in the North East has always been an inspiration to the rest of us. He hopes to spend more time acting as Training co-ordinator for the John Muir Trust and undertake other private work. We wish him and NEAT all the best.

Ther is therefore a post advertised:
North East Arts Touring Co-ordinator
Salary £22K to £25K, fulltime
Closing date 18th Jan 08

NEAT supports the provision of professional touring drama, children's theatre, dance and similar productions in communities across the North East of Scotland.  The post of co-ordinator will be responsible for the day to day running and development of the organisation in what is expected to be a period of growth & expansion.
Full details of the post and how to apply can be downloaded from the website www.neatshows.org.uk  (Click on Downloads and then Information Sheets)

DGAA
Jenny Wilson has stopped working with the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association. DGAA and PAN have been able to swap experiences and information over the years and we hope this will continue.

Computer Software and supplies for Charities and Education

PAN venues and local Film Clubs

The PAN Office is occasionally asked about developing programmes to include Film - at least 12 PAN members show film. If you are new to this, then is sounds potentially very complicated. But with no more than a DVD player, a small projector and a simple sound system you can bring cinema to your hall.

For full details and support go to the Virtual Film Club on www.virtualfilmclub.org.uk/ where everything is explained.

Write a Short Story

What better way to get the New Year started than by entering a short story competition? Our annual competition is now accepting submissions – this year’s theme is ‘Winter’. First prize is £300 plus a place on our Masterclass (at end of March). Full competition guidelines can be found at our website: http://www.hi-arts.co.uk/writing_development.htm

Peter Urpeth
Writing Development Co-ordinator

Traditional Music Awards

Various PAN Members met up in Fort William before Christmas for the Hands UJp for Trad Music Awards where we settled around out own table and enjoyed the glittering affair celebrating Scottish traditional music in all its forms. Award categories included best Album, Live Act, Gaelic Singer and Community Project - which this year was won by the Edinburgh-based Scots Music Group. Club of the Year went to Ceol s Craic in Glasgow.

The awards were attended by Minister for Culture, Linda Fabiani, who summed up the event by saying 'Traditional music represents an important part of our cultural history but also a very real part of our future - and these Awards are a great example of that future.' To read the full line-up of winners, go to www.handsupfortrad.co.uk

PAN Member named as 'Best Event in the Highlands in 2007'

The Skye Festival or Fèis an Eilein, run by SEALL arts in south Skye was given the special Highland 2007 Award at the glitzy Highland Tourism Awards in the Drumossie Hotel in Inverness in November.
Duncan and Polly MacInnes were there to collect  the award and were pleased to see others from the Highlands and islands involved in Arts and Culture, amongst all the wider Tourism interests.

Highland Homecoming - Funding Applications needed before February

Over the past few months the Homecoming Scotland team has been out and about covering the length and breadth of the country to encourage a whole range of potential Homecoming Scotland partners to think about how they can get involved and help create a truly memorable year in 2009.
We are now entering the phase of turning good ideas and outline concepts into a programme that will inspire, excite and create a sense of pride in Scots at home and abroad.
What better year to celebrate?  2009 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, our national poet and cultural icon, whose message of friendship and Auld Lang Syne continues to unite people the world over. 
This week we launched a funding programme that will create one of the strands of activity to make up the year's programme of events.  The 'Homecoming Scotland Themed Events Programme' invites event organisers to apply for funds to create new or enhance existing events that reflect the themes and support the objectives of Homecoming Scotland 2009.  For more information on the funding programme visit www.homecomingscotland.com