Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Council urged to continue support for Aberdeen’s Big Noise Torry ahead of budget next week

Big Noise Torry
Big Noise Torry's funding will be reinstated by the Scottish Government. Image: Sistema Scotland/Supplied.

Council officials have been urged not to give up on a flagship Aberdeen music tuition project for disadvantaged children in an effort to cut costs.

Charity bosses raised concerns about the future of Big Noise Torry after Dundee City Council set out proposals to axe funding for its sister programme in Tayside.

Big Noise Torry is one of Sistema Scotland’s four schemes in the country, which gives youngsters living in underprivileged areas the chance to learn an instrument.

It provides free music tuition, as well as an orchestra programme, to more than 750 pupils and pre-school children in Torry’s Walker Road and Tullos Primaries.

‘Our transformational work is more important than ever’

While the project has proved to be hugely successful, the charity fears it could face a major funding shortfall amid pressures on local authority finances.

Aberdeen City Council is due to decide on next year’s budget on March 1.

And Sistema Scotland has yet to receive confirmation the administration will honour their partnership agreement to pay 75% of the annual programme costs.

Concerns over the scheme’s future have been heightened by Dundee City Council’s proposal to end its financial support to Big Noise Douglas from this summer.

Charity chief executive Nicola Killean urged Aberdeen City Council to continue its support for the programme, which is now needed more than ever.

Big Noise Torry has proven to be a huge success since its inception in 2015. Image: Sistema Scotland/Supplied.

She said: “For nearly eight years, we have provided respectful and empowering support to children and their families in Torry, improving their confidence and mental health and wellbeing, and helping young people reach their full potential.

“The shock recommendation made by Dundee City Council officials to scrap funding for the Douglas project is devastating for the community there, and threatens the life chances of a generation of children.

“We have had an exemplary relationship and partnership with Aberdeen City Council since the beginning of Big Noise Torry. During a cost-of-living crisis, our transformational work is more important than ever.

“We urge Aberdeen councillors to urgently demonstrate their commitment to the Torry community and ensure that together we can continue to support the children who need us the most.”

Conversation