A project that supports young authors in the Kirkcudbright area of Dumfries and Galloway has received further funding.
The project, which helps young people in Kirkcudbright to develop their creative writing skills by working with writers, has received £500 from the Galloway Association of Glasgow, the second time the organisation has supported the project. It is the third organisation to provide funding, which has allowed the project to progress into its third year.
The writing project in Kirkcudbright is a collaboration between Kirkcudbright Academy, lead tutor the author Hugh McMillan and his team of writers, and Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, which runs the town’s annual literary celebration every March. The next one will run between March 3-9, 2025.
The Galloway Association of Glasgow, which can trace its roots back to 1791, is an independent charitable trust, which supports good causes within Galloway, including the arts and education.
Angus Rex, President of the Galloway Association of Glasgow, said: “The Association is delighted to provide a further award to this inspiring and worthwhile project to enable young Gallowvidians to creatively share their thoughts and experiences in a rapidly changing world. The Association provides grants to young people from across Galloway to help them develop their unique talents.”
Hugh McMillan said: “Our thanks go to the Galloway Association of Glasgow for helping to fund this amazing project involving young poets in Kirkcudbright. Creativity is such an important part of life and personal growth and in a world full of uncertainty and fear, self-expression, and the confidence to speak out, is so very important. This funding will help this hugely important project to proceed for another year.”
Further funding for the project this year has come from the Holywood Trust, the third year it has provided support, and the National Lottery Community Fund.
John Dean, Treasurer of the Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, said: “This funding support has allowed us to take the project into its third year, which excites us immensely. The quality of the students’ work has been inspiring and there is a feeling that Hugh and his team are developing something really significant.”
In the project’s first two years (2023 and 2024), creative writing sessions were held with dozens of students and outcomes included a focus on different disciplines, including the spoken word and Scots, the production of annual anthologies of poetry and prose, exhibitions of the students’ work at Kirkcudbright Library during Kirkcudbright Book Week, and recordings of students reading their work for use on websites.
The third year will see further workshops, again allowing the students to produce work and publish a publication, and the funding will involve more authors to be involved, including spoken word specialists and young writers.
The money will also be used to support a new venture, a day-long literary Festival, organised by the students themselves at the Academy. They will work with the project team, including planning and publicising writers’ visits, learning how to cost projects and working with authors.
John Dean said: “In addition to encouraging creativity, an important part of the project is supporting the learning of organisational skills, which will look good on the students’ CVs and Personal Statements to colleges and universities when they leave school. The festival at the Academy does just that.”
