We all appreciate the chance to go to the theatre more often. There are some wonderful venues around the country and some really superb drama companies whose interpretations of old classics and brand new material are well worth seeing. However, the theatre is something most people like to experience in good company and this makes […]

The Scottish Government has announced the first spending within ‘CashBack’ scheme, where money seized from convicted criminals is put back into the society in constructive ways.

The Scots Government will be granting £600,000 to various arts projects in order to encourage social inclusion for young people - although the funding will require match-funding from the private sector (in cash or in kind).

Scottish Culture Minister, Linda Fabiani, has said that this £600,000 is only part of the £1.8 million seized from criminal assets that have now been designated for distribution to various arts projects over the next 2 years.

This is the first project to be funded by the Proceeds of Crime Act, and it is apt indeed that monies taken back from the criminal underworld should be sown back into social inclusion projects, particularly for those who experience social exclusion and disenfranchisement and who are perhaps more vulnerable to being drawn into criminality themselves..

Alex Norton, of ‘Taggart’ fame, is an active supporter of the scheme, and cites his own beginnings in a youth drama group managed by the Glasgow Corporation back in the 1960s.

In an interview with The Stage newspaper, Mr. Norton is reported to have spoken about the benefits of exposing people to the arts and culture at a young age. He explained that the arts, like acting, singing and dancing, are activities that really absorb young people and give them something to look forward to and aspire.