Tattoo announces six-figure funding boost for young traditional artists

A £150,000 fund to help nurture the talent of young people involved in traditional Scottish music and dance has been launched.

Arts and cultural organisations are eligible to apply for a slice of the cash, which has been donated by the charitable arm of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

The money is to help encourage talented people from the ages of five to 26 who are participating in art forms such as piping, drumming, Highland dance and fiddle playing.

Applications for the funding, which is being administered by Creative Scotland, are now open and will close on Monday December 10.

Rucelle Soutar, of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “We launched The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo youth talent development fund in partnership with Creative Scotland for the first time last year to help nurture excellence in traditional Scottish artforms and we were blown away by the incredible talent that exists around the country.

“Supporting the future of the arts has been at the heart of the Tattoo since its inception almost 70 years ago, and we’re absolutely thrilled to offer this opportunity for a second year running to help young people from a variety of backgrounds develop their creative skills and enrich the Scottish arts industry.”