20 WHAT’S ON
CULTURE • LITERATURE • ART • EVENTS • MUSIC • MUSEUMS...
Bonnie & Wild
nights beckon
Connery’s legacy lives on
Everyone is cordially invited to the White Heather Club
Grants for young film
makers will make all
the difference
By PHYLLIS STEPHEN
THE SEAN CONNERY Foundation has
announced four new grants for arts
organisations in Scotland, including Screen
Education Edinburgh which provides
education and training for all ages. It specialises
in helping those from areas of deprivation or
low-income backgrounds, people living with a
disability or from diverse backgrounds.
The recipients of the grants are known as
offering hands-on introductions to film-
making covering the whole process end to end.
This includes writing, producing, acting, sound
and lighting, set design, costumes and editing.
This will enable young people in Scotland to try
out the wide variety of roles available in the
film and TV industries.
The Foundation hopes to increase interest in
the sector and help young people create and
share their stories. Anyone involved in the
programmes led by SEE will gain valuable skills
in how to organise their work and collaborate
with others.
The goal of The Sean Connery Foundation is
to accelerate positive change through strategic
grant-making to education and ocean
conservation institutions and organisations in
Scotland and The Bahamas, the two countries
Sir Sean Connery called home.
Jason Connery said: “Before he was a
globally recognised movie star, my dad was a
lad from Fountainbridge, and he never once
forgot that whilst talent might be distributed
equally, opportunity is not. By supporting
access for passionate young people to the
screen sector, no matter what their
circumstances, we’d like to help dreams come
true. We hope that young people with an
appetite for visual storytelling and a curiosityabout the many behind-the-scenes jobs that
make movies possible, will reach out to our
grantees and get involved.”
Foundation Chair, Stephane Connery, added:
“The screen sector has enjoyed strong growth
in recent years as more global productions
choose to shoot their film and TV in Scotland,
providing good jobs for industry-ready young
people. Our screen-education grantees offer a
wide variety of programs that introduce
participants to the possibility of a career in
screen production, often for the first time, and
provide a clear path into an exciting industry
that is too often considered out-of-reach.”
Graham Fitzpatrick, Principal Officer forSEE has said: "We are incredibly thankful for
the support from The Sean Connery
Foundation in establishing our SEE Young
Filmmakers Hub. This funding will enable us to
provide invaluable opportunities to young
people between 12 and 18 who are passionate
about filmmaking, regardless of their
circumstances. With this support, we can help
them develop the skills, knowledge, confidence,
and connections needed to pursue a career in
the film, TV and media industries. The vision
of The Sean Connery Foundation, inspired by
the legacy of Edinburgh born and bred Sir Sean
Connery, resonates deeply with our
organisation's mission. By supporting local
talent and inspiring young people in the city
where he grew up, the Foundation is truly
connecting with Sir Sean Connery's roots. We
are honoured to be representing Edinburgh in
the Foundation's funding portfolio and be part
of the Foundation's efforts to make a positive
impact in Scotland's cultural and educational
priorities. We look forward to making a
meaningful impact in the lives of aspiring
young filmmakers and creating a more
inclusive and accessible film industry in
Edinburgh and beyond."
The other bodies receiving grants are
Glasgow Media Arts Centre, Station House
Media Unit in Aberdeen and The Portal Arts in
Glasgow. The Scottish Youth Film Foundation
is also being funded as announced previously
in October 2022.SEE Course participants Gerlof Griesel
and Rachel Mckinlay with Jason ConneryBy PHYLLIS STEPHEN
ON THE LAST Thursday of every
month Bonnie & Wild will host the
White Heather Club with dancing to
the Charlie Kilpatrick Band.
And now in collaboration with
ScotlandShop there will be tartan
rosettes and other prizes offered to
those taking part in the Scottish
Country dancing.
Ryan Barrie, Managing Director of
Bonnie & Wild said: “Our ceilidh
nights have been a phenomenal
success since we revived them last
year, with thousands of folk comingalong to Bonnie & Wild and enjoying
these evenings of music, dance and
good cheer.
“And we know there’s potential to
do more. We’ve big plans and high
hopes for our White Heather Club.
Teaming up with ScotlandShop, we’ll
be offering new rounds of prizes to
participants, and honouring some of
the bonnie dancers who come to our
White Heather Club, while also
unveiling a few surprises on the way.
“With ScotlandShop’s partnership,
we’ll see a lot more tartan on the
night, made in Scotland of course.
The White Heather Club is a
celebration of Scottish culture,
something that all of us at Bonnie &
Wild are passionate about, whetherit’s the food and drink we offer, the
chefs and business we work with,
and our love of the land through our
sponsorship of the Scottish
Landscape Photographer Awards.”
Anna White, Founder of
ScotlandShop, said: “Like Bonnie &
Wild, we are passionate about
Scottish culture, including of course
the many tailored tartan garments
and fabulous fabrics woven here in
Scotland. But we also embrace our
wider culture, its food, drink, music
and of course our country dancing.
We know these are very important to
our customers who I’m sure will be
excited by the White Heather Club
and our involvement in it.”
Organisers Bonnie & Wild, theScottish Food Hall in Edinburgh’s St
James Quarter where the monthly
dances are held, said the partnership
with global kilt-maker ScotlandShop
will help to bring Scottish country
dancing to more residents and
tourists in Edinburgh while also
promoting Scottish culture to a wider
audience globally.
The White Heather Club was an
popular TV show in the 1960s and
1970s that beamed ceilidh dancing
into people's homes across the UK,
and was largely credited with the
revival in popularity of Scottish
country dancing. Last year, Bonnie &
Wild reprised the ceilidh night,
attracting hundreds of dancers every
month to the free ceilidhs.