• HebCelt secures £5,000 music award

• Funding boost for flagship island festival

• Support for new talent recognised 

The award-winning Hebridean Celtic Festival’s efforts to provide a stage for up-and-coming musical talent have earned it a £5,000 windfall for this year’s summer spectacle. 

The money comes from the PRS for Music Foundation, the UK's leading independent funder of new music across all genres. During a very competitive process, HebCelt was one of just 30 applications approved from the 400 received by the foundation for the latest round of awards. 

The festival, now in its 17th year, boasts a unique location and an international reputation for quality and cutting-edge programming. 

Last year it established a second stage within the main arena in the grounds of Lews Castle in Stornoway in the isle of Lewis. This initiative, supported by the Scotland's Islands project, hosted performances from artists from other Scottish islands alongside established acts and this year the main site’s operating hours will be extended to provide more performing slots. 

The Islands Stage will see a range of artists who are creating new work across the contemporary traditional, bluegrass and indie genres, including Idlewild frontman Roddy Woomble, Washington Irving, Sketch and The Sea Atlas. 

The stage will also host Glasgow-based three-piece Muran who earlier this month earned a slot in the main arena by winning the festival’s One Step Further competition to find new talent. 

James Hannam, Applications Manager for the PRS for Music Foundation, said: “HebCelt was selected partly due to its strong Gaelic roots and also its ability to attract new audiences and the wide range of folk artists being programmed.” 

This year’s festival, which runs from 11-14 July, will be headlined by The Waterboys, The Proclaimers and Kassidy. Last year it attracted an audience of 14,500, 46 per cent of whom were visitors to the area, including fans from across Europe, the USA and Canada. 

Festival Director Caroline MacLennan said: “We are delighted to receive this financial assistance from such a prestigious organisation as the PRS for Music Foundation. 

“Supporting and encouraging new talent is one of the key aims of the festival.  The second stage programme is primarily aimed at promoting emerging artists, both local and visiting. 

“This policy provides opportunities for performers to appear alongside many of their peers, assisting their ongoing artistic development.  Equally our distinctive location has the potential to offer new markets to all artists appearing at the festival.” 

The PRS for Music Foundation (PRSF) is widely respected as an adventurous and proactive funding body, supporting a wide range of new music activity - from unsigned band showcases to composer residencies, from commissions for new music to experimental live electronica. 

Since March 2000 PRSF has given more than £16 million to over 4,500 new music initiatives. 

For more information on the PRS for Music Foundation go to www.prsformusicfoundation.com