Musicians awarded share of funding by Eilidh’s Trust

A NUMBER of young musicians in Dumfries and Galloway are set to benefit from over £50,000 of funding from the charity created in memory of Manchester Arena victim Eilidh MacLeod.

A total of £53,400 is being made available to over 80 musicians and youth music groups across Scotland by the Eilidh MacLeod Memorial Trust.

Recipients in this region are as follows: Doonhamer Junior Brass; Feis an lar Dheas, traditional music tuition; the Galloway Violin Studio; Annan Academy music department; Alison Dawson, vocal lessons; Sheila Morrison, piano; Dumfries Pipe Band; Dumfries Drum Day; and Ross D’Arcy, multi instrumentalist.

Eilidh’s Trust was established in 2018 in memory of the talented 14-year-old musician from the Isle of Barra who died in the Manchester Arena attack in May 2017. The trust supports music education for young people reflecting Eilidh’s own love of music and her musical ability and enjoyment as a piper with the local pipe band.

Iagan MacNeil of Eilidh’s Trust said: “This funding round shows that we are succeeding in our mission to build a musical legacy for Eilidh having now issued almost 200 small grants since 2018.

“We are heartened to know that our 2025 funding will allow over 2000 children and young people to grow in their talent and confidence.

“While our financial support this year covers a broad range of genres and disciplines in all parts of Scotland, we have seen an increase in requests to help alleviate the costs associated with music lessons.

“By removing financial barriers to tuition, we are helping young people to continue to realise their ambitions without fear of impacting under-pressure family budgets.”

You can donate to Eilidh’s Trust on the charity’s JustGiving page: justgiving.com/charity/eilidhstrust