Three shinty groups are to share a funding windfall for projects helping people suffering from mental health issues and isolation.
More than £2,500 has been secured by Shinty Memories Scotland from the Life Changes Trust’s Creating Better Lives in the Highlands Small Grants Programme.
Grant are being made available to the Badenoch, Caberfeidh and Beauly shinty memories groups (SMGs) to start new projects and build on previous work.
Beauly SMG has been awarded £1,000 to buy media equipment to show archive photographs, videos and audio files to its members.
A spokesman said: “This development will enable us to show digitised versions of photographs and means we need not be in possession of hard copies of photographs which are so often delicate and easily damaged.
“It also means that memories groups can use the same images at the same time.
“Furthermore, as we move out of the Covid-19 crisis, people are much more wary of handling items in archives, which could be a potential issue with hard copies, or even passing around a laptop.
“These concerns are understandably even more prevalent with the demographics that memories groups tend to work with as they are often more vulnerable to disease and illness.”
Badenoch SMG also receives £1,000 to continue the production and printing of the regular newsletter and shinty quiz, Camans and Goings which was started during lockdown.
Chairman John MacKenzie said: “The newsletter provides a sense of belonging to the group and is an ideal way to share news and memories of the sport.”
Caberfeidh SMG receives £695 to purchase media equipment to help them develop their activities, including a Friday afternoon club.
David MacMaster, from Caberfeidh SMG, who is also Shinty Memories Scotland chairman, said: “This weekly gathering is a great opportunity to convene in a welcome friendly setting and not only assist the club but also to allow them to retain an active link with the club and encourage social gathering.”
Meanwhile, in the absence of regular shinty events at New Year, followers of the game can test their knowledge of its history in an online quiz.
The Camanachd Callainn Challenge will be hosted on Zoom by shinty historian and broadcaster Hugh Dan Maclennan, secretary of Shinty Memories Scotland, at 7pm on December 29.
Tickets costing £5 are being sold online by Eventbrite.
Mr Maclennan said: “We have had to re-adjust our activities this year due to Covid-19 and made a switch to virtual and online activity to enable us to keep in touch with people who were and still are, isolated for whatever reason.
“Hopefully, once the vaccination programme and other circumstances ease our difficulties we will re-launch our core activities and hopefully we will get some real shinty action as well.”
