Hundreds of people in Blairgowrie, Rattray and beyond enjoyed a series of events as part of the seventh Blairgowrie and Rattray Arts for Wellbeing festival.
The showcase – known as It’s BRAW! – is held throughout August and aims to highlight the wealth of creative talent in the area and support people’s wellbeing by providing opportunities to participate in arts, crafts, music and drama activities.
It culminates in a packed month-long programme of activities, encouraging people to try out new skills and hobbies while giving professional artists the opportunity to showcase their skills.
The popular Rattray Arts Festival, which celebrates the talent and skills of amateur and professional artists – including featured artist Roz Macdonald – took place over 10 days in Blairgowrie Town Hall and was visited by 400 people.
Hundreds of original paintings, prints and gift items were included in the exhibition, which saw 30 paintings sold.
Each year, 20 per cent of sales made during the event is generously donated by the artists to support worthwhile local causes, which this year were Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance, Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Football Club’s Women’s team and locally-based wellbeing charity Wisecraft.
Organisers have said that nearly 1000 people attended events throughout the showcase month in total.
A number of crafts-based workshops led by the team at Blairgowrie-based Nest Creative Spaces also took place.
This year, more than 60 participants were able to try their hand at the likes of lino printing, tile painting, Furoshiki, making a treasure box, and jewellery-making.
The family events proved to be very popular and will be held again in the run-up to Christmas.
There were also a number of ukulele-playing taster sessions at Wisecraft in Blairgowrie, run by local enthusiasts Blair Ukes.
Seven people attended each of the three sessions over the month, some of whom are keen to continue learning and playing.
As a result of the taster sessions, Blair Ukes will now be visiting Wisecraft on a regular basis.
Blair Ukes also took part in a concert that brought several solo performers and two musical groups in the area together, as well as at a community ceilidh held in Blairgowrie High School that was organised by Blairgowrie, Rattray and District Pipe Band.
In addition, around 300 people enjoyed three performances of ‘A Vicar of Dibley Christmas – The Second Coming’ by award-winning amateur dramatic group Blairgowrie Players.
It’s BRAW committee chair Lesley McDonald said: “We are really pleased with the response to the It’s BRAW! festival.
“We always say that our aim every year is to get people interacting and experiencing the wealth of creative arts and activities within the town, and maybe try something new, in an affordable and accessible way, and I think we have achieved that once again.
“We had young people, older people, people from the international community who have made their home in Blairgowrie and Rattray, those who have lived here all their days and those visiting the town for a day or a short-break coming along to our events and taking part in the various sessions again this year.
“Each of the volunteer committee members has put in an enormous amount of time and effort to pull together a programme that had something for everyone, and it has been a fantastic festival with some excellent feedback from people who have attended – many of whom said that they wouldn’t have tried some of the sessions had they not been part of the festival – and some wonderful connections for future collaborations made.
“We’re already looking ahead and thinking about starting to plan next year’s showcase month, so watch this space!”
See www.itsbraw.scot for more information.