We are delighted to be able to share our highlights film and evaluation report detailing the impact of our summer programme, Source to Sea.
From July to September 2021, Source to Sea brought people together across Moray to mark Scotland’s themed Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21 with a cultural programme celebrating the region’s rich culture, heritage and environment.
As evidenced in our extensive evaluation, Source to Sea succeeded in achieving its core objectives:
- The delivery of a summer programme of cultural events and activities which responded to and reflected Covid-19 pandemic conditions.
- Total overall audience attendance and participation of 4,000 people.
- Audience numbers of over 3,500 community members predominantly drawn from Elgin and Forres area.
- Approximately 250 local people engaged through creative learning and community participation activities, including over 120 school children in Burghead who welcomed STORM.
- Engagement and support of 13 major funders, business, heritage organisations and community groups.
- Showcasing and supporting 36 local artists and provided a platform for artistic collaboration between local and visiting artists and community groups.
- The recruitment of 68 volunteers to support events through stewarding, planning and production.
- Recruitment of 11 freelance creative professionals to support delivery and engagement.
- Employment of two young creatives to manage the Summer Mini Market Shop.
- Supporting over 40 local growers, makers and food producers through our shop, with 2,100 estimated total customer visits over the summer.
- Feedback from audiences indicating that Source to Sea helped them enjoy new experiences, feel creatively inspired and reconnected with others after Covid-19.
- Supporting Scotland’s themed Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21 with 85.8% of our audiences agreeing that they would appreciate our coasts and waters more.
Kresanna Aigner, Creative Director and CEO of Findhorn Bay Arts, said:
“Source to Sea was our re-imagined and re-designed programme of events that would have featured as part of the 4th Findhorn Bay Festival, which could not go ahead as planned due to the emergence of Covid-19.
“To ensure we continued to support creative activity for our local community and creative practitioners, we decided that we had to redesign our plans significantly.
“We also felt it was so important to give local communities access to a wide range of cultural activities to make people breathe, smile, and laugh in equal measure.
“Fortunately we were able to redesign many of our activities as well as identify opportunities for new collaborations.
“Instead of a week-long festival we conceived a summer long programme of events to inspire and connect people, place a spot light on our stunning coastal and inland waterways and communities, and to raise awareness of and inspire greater care for our natural assets.
“We worked in collaboration with the third sector, businesses, community partners, artists, cultural organisations and local people to deliver a highly memorable cultural programme.
“We are, needless to say, delighted that Source to Sea had such a positive impact under the most difficult of circumstances.
“Next year we will be back with the Findhorn Bay Festival as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022. While we do not quite yet know the shape of this, we will continue to adapt and design programme in a way that is safe – and will keep you informed as we plan.
“Thank you so much for your support for Source to Sea – and we very much hope that you enjoy the film.”
You can find out more about Source to Sea and its full impact by reading the evaluation report below.
With thanks to Poppycock Films.
