Plea to support festival

BUSINESSES are being offered the chance to sponsor an eight-day event which will bring music, dance, history, sport and culture to a Highland town.

Grantown 250 – The Strathspey Seven is seven festivals rolled into one and will take place in June.

And the organisers are offering the opportunity for businesses to get involved to support the celebration which is being held to mark the 250th birthday of Grantown-On-Spey.

Bill Sadler who is heading up the organisational team explained: "This is a great opportunity for a company to get involved in something which is going to be big for Grantown and Strathspey and which is going to draw in crowds from across the region and hopefully the country.

"We need sponsors to be able to put on the best festival we can and without a doubt, anyone taking up this chance will get great coverage but can also go away knowing they have helped stage something which is very important for our historical town."

Grantown 250 – The Strathspey Seven is pipped to be the Highland’s biggest birthday party. It will focus on seven themes – Food and Drink, Heritage, Environment, Tourism, Trade, Music and Sport.

Bill added: "We are delighted that Seafield Estates are our headline sponsor but there are still many other ways to get involved. For example, you can sponsor one of the days or one of the themes, or even become and event partner. We are also delighted to take donations and we have been lucky enough that a few people have already taken up this opportunity."

The festival begins on June 21 and over the eight days will showcase over 100 events from interactive displays, historical pub crawls, music evenings, and a traditional market.

The idea for the event has been in the planning for well over a year and Bill explained why it is taking place: "Grantown has such a rich history and there are few towns where you can trace back the history so clearly. This eight day festival will involve the whole community. It’s a celebration for local people and visitors from home and abroad. It will showcase the history and attractions of our unique community. The project is the brainchild of several local people who wish the special qualities of Grantown to be celebrated and become more widely known, thus creating a lasting legacy."

The festival will finish on June 28 with a host of events which will climax in a celebration dinner and organisers hope that attendees will dress in full period costume.

To find out more about the event and how to get involved visit www.grantown250.org

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