Successful Projects

Received - £3,735.02

The BHS Senior Musical Theatre Group were delighted to receive a grant of £3,735 from Blackhill Windarm Community Fund in August last year.

The grant contributed to the purchase of P.A. equipment and a sound desk, to be used in musical productions, concerts and other performances at the Berwickshire High School and other local venues.

We were able to purchase a new, professional sound desk, speakers and associated cables (as detailed in our grant applicaiton) and were first used in January 2020 when the senior cast staged a run of "Legally Blonde: The Musical".  This musical was warmly received by the audiences and our new technology made it much more straightforward to control the sound and for the performers to be heard clearly above the orchestra.

For the first time this year we have been running a Musical Theatre course in school.  We have worked closely with former pupil Will Derries (now a professional sound engineer) through the year.  Will set up our new sound equipment and was able to demonstrate its operation to the Musical Theatre students.  He spent time with other pupils in the week of "Legally Blode" sharing his expertise on the sound desk.  We also had a visit from the Health & Safety department of Scottish Borders Council and they were very impressed by the set up in the hall including the minimal cabling that was a direct result of our new P.A. equipment. 

In March, the equipment we purchased was taken to Duns Primary School.  They were due to use it for their produciton of "Hairspray".  Unforunately the Covid-19 lockdown came into force just before they were able to perform the show. 

The next project for the Musical Theatre group at BHS would bave been a production of "Les Miserables" this week (Commencing June 23rd).  It is hoped that we might still be able to put on this show later in the year if circumstances allow. 

We still harbour ambitions of purchasing our own radio microphones too, which would save us the cost of hiring them for every musical production as well as other performances through the year.

May I take the opportunity to thank the members of the Blackhill Windfarm Community Fund committee for their support. 

POLISH SOLDIERS IN THE SCOTTISH BORDER BOOKLET

In 2019 a grant application to the Blackhill Windfarm Community Fund was submitted and successfully obtained, this amounted to £897 to pay for a further print run of 500 of the above titled booklets from the original printers.

Once the grant had been obtained the order was submitted and the booklets obtained.  Since then they are being distributed/sold to interested parties to raise awareness of the long term involvement in local life of these former soldiers and their descendants leading to the erection of the Plaque in Newtown Street, the Ware Memorial in the Park and Town Twinning activities.

Duns and District Twinng Association hearby acknowledges and is appreciative of the financial support from the Blackhill Windfarm Community Fund for our project.

Jim Carnie

Secretary

Duns & District Twinning Association

August 2020