Ron Laidlaw: Sue Briggs - Alchemy Film & Moving Image Festival

Thu, Jan 24th 2019 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Weekly meeting with guest speaker


At last Thursday’s meeting of Hawick Rotary Club our speakers were Sue Briggs and Rachel Disbury of Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival which is based in Hawick and in collaboration with Heart Of Hawick. The organisation promotes the development of independent arts and film related projects in the Scottish Borders region and Scotland as a whole and is funded by Creative Scotland. The Festival takes place annually and only in Hawick.

They described how the festival started in 2010 with around 100 films in various venues from Heart of Hawick to vacant shops, mills and other premises. Last year’s festival screened around 1000 films varying from 2 minutes to 20 minutes. Over the five days last year the very many visitors brought in £267 each and many had not been in Hawick before and left impressed. The benefit to the town was around £313,000.

It was impressed that the festival has a major aim in introducing to Hawick experimental films to make people think, to reach out to do things for Hawick and to show what this culture can do for the town. Moving Image workshops are held and four exhibitions per year are shown in various unused buildings or shops. An exhibition is showing currently in the Yeoman’s shop in the High Street.

Two short films were shown, one of which was “A Glimmer of Light” by Hawick based Learning Disability Service which illustrated how the festival touches many aspects of the town.   Questions and discussion showed how much the presentation had been enjoyed.

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Some info on the entertaining activities we get up to!

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This Committee focuses on international aid and projects

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A summary of Hawick Rotary's work with the community during 2020, despite the problems of Coronavirus and Lockdowns

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2019-20 President Linden Warburton and Treasurer Scott Elliot (centre) meet with Polysport representatives Libby Kennedy (right) and Greg Cuthbert (left)

Hawick Rotary Club has been able to obtain funding for the restoration of the village's Polysport facility after it was inundated by floodwater

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