An inspirational local businesswoman and an iconic Dumfries venue are among those nominated for the Scots Language Awards 2023 in recognition of their incredible contribution to the language.
Angela Gilmour, managing director of LIFT D&G, a not-for-profit local community group, is nominated in the Scots Speaker o the Year category, while Moat Brae, the birthplace of Peter Pan and home to the National Centre for Children’s Literature, is up for Scots Project o the Year. They are among over 60 nominees in the running across 12 categories at the annual awards ceremony.
The ceremony will take place at Johnstone Town Hall, in partnership with Renfrewshire Council, on Saturday 16th September, showcasing the very best of Scots language and culture. The awards, which were first started in 2019, celebrate the importance of Scots language within arts and culture but also within daily life, education, and business.
Voting for this year’s Scots Language Awards will be open from Monday 28th August to Sunday 10th September 2023.
There will be a host of incredible entertainment on the night, including a recital from Renfrewshire’s poet laureate poet Shaun Moore, who was appointed as the region’s Tannahill Makar last year, talks from esteemed Scottish writers Cat Cochrane and Shane Strachan, and musical performances from celebrated brother duo Euan and Lewis McLaughlin, and talented folk singer Iona Fyfe.
Angela Gilmour said: “When I started the community group, I started meeting people who were involved with funding, local politics and the council. I felt like I came across as “common” or unintelligent, and approached my Board to provide me with training on how to speak “properly.” The Board assured me that the way I spoke was true and authentic to me and the area I live in, and to speak differently would be an injustice to myself and the people I aim to support in my work. It is for this reason I proudly speak the way I was brought up to speak – in Scots.”
Natalie Smith, Visitor Attraction Manager at Moat Brae, said: “We asked James Robertson an Matthew Fitt and a the guid folk at Itchy Coo if we could mark their 21st birthday wi a programme celebratin a their buiks in Scots, fae ‘The Gruffalo’ tae ‘Paddington’. Oor local visitors a uaise Scots and they were fair chuffed tae hear it in the centre. We uaised Scots buiks in a wir groups fur weans. We read ‘The Gruffalo in Scots’ at the Big DoG Bairns’ Buik Festival. We did a wee exhibition a aboot ‘The Eejits’, an in that we telt oor visitors a aboot the Scots leid. We even hid a ‘Chocolate Breakfast’ wi Wullie Wonka an the Oompa Loompas – it selt oot saw fast we hid tae hae mair!
“Fowk uaise Scots here in Dumfries every day, it widnae be richt tae let on fowk uaise English only. That’s how we hae sae much Scots in wir programmes.”
Scotland’s traditional culture, music and arts organisation Hands Up For Trad organise the annual event, and organiser Simon Thoumire said: “We ur delichtit tae let ye ken the number o nominees fir the Scots Leid Awards submitit ower aa the sindrie categories haes bin jist grand! An its bin wunnerfu tae lairn aboot aa the fowk, some names we already kent, ithers new tae us, ettlin tae mak shuir oor braw Scots leid steys in guid hert. It haes nivver been mair importint tae acknowledge the fowk whaes wirk is keeping the leid tae the fore baith in thir daily lives an in its cultur, music an wirds. Sae mony nominations tae mak ye prood, an submitit as weel fae aa pairts o Scotland includin Dumfries!
“Aince votin stairts, its ower tae the public tae mak thir chuisins. The winners wull be anooncit at a ceremony in Johnstone Toon Ha’ Johnstone Renfrewshire oan Seturday 16th September. It wull be a haurd joab tae chuise fae sae mony amazin nominees. Sae mak shuir ye get yer votes in!”
Scots language has long been used by authors, spoken in our top films, and is experiencing a contemporary year on year resurgence via social media including a huge new audience of all ages on TikTok, as communities connect and realise their heritage, led by the public, influencers, and media alike.
Voting for the Scots Language Awards will open on 28th August and votes can be cast at www.scotslanguageawards.com.
Tickets for the Scots Language Awards are available here: https://renfrewshireboxoffice.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173641551
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