CASE STUDY: Gaelic Communities Fund
Urras Coimhearsnachd Port Righ is a’ Bhràighe | Portree and Braes Community Trust
Project: Speak Up for Gaelic
Gaelic Communities Fund Awarded: £10,000
Background
Portree and Braes Community Trust (PBCT) started in 2016 and has worked on a wide range of projects. There are 2 members of staff that are focused on key development projects. Portree and Braes Community Council initially contacted Community Land Scotland regarding the funding and worked with the PBCT to develop the initial ideas.
Project
The original idea for the project, Speak Up for Gaelic, had two elements that worked together: the first was creating informal, supportive opportunities to regularly meet and use Gaelic, the second was to get local businesses to actively encourage the use of Gaelic.
The first element established two weekly groups: a coffee morning on a Tuesday and a quiz in a local pub on a Friday night. The introduction of these regular sessions ensured a range of target audiences were included. The second element created a natural increase in opportunities to use Gaelic in everyday life. A total of 15 businesses in the Portree and Braes area signed up to the initiative.
The success of the project can be seen by the nearly 600 people involved in the various events. Building the Gaelic speaking networking opportunities has also seen the social benefit of the regular meetings which has complemented the simple yet effective project. Because of the informal nature of the project, the weekly events were often steered by the participants themselves, showcasing a model of community-led Gaelic development.
Learning
While the project is a simple one, there is a regular commitment needed by the co-ordinator to not only manage the events but to facilitate them as well. The time has clearly been well spent and the additional funding to have a dedicated person manage the project has allowed PBCT to continue their other projects.
Information:
Photos by Cailean Maclean and Portree and Braes Trust