HEBCELT HOPING FOR FINAL SAY IN TOURISM AWARDS

The internationally acclaimed Hebridean Celtic Festival is in line for another accolade after being named as a finalist in the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards.

The four-day festival, which was held from 16-19 July in Stornoway, has been shortlisted in the Best Event or Festival section of the awards. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Inverness on 7 November.

Each section winner will automatically become a finalist at the Scottish Thistle Awards 2015, along with the front-runners from the North East, Central South East and Central South West regional heats.

HebCelt, which will mark its 20^th anniversary next year, has a major economic and cultural impact on Lewis and the wider islands community. It is a passionate supporter of the Gaelic language and of young, emerging talent as well as traditional music.

This year’s festival staged its biggest ever programme of 40 acts, headlined by Big Country, Levellers and Donnie Munro. A huge influx of music fans from overseas made up half the estimated 14,000-strong audience which provided a major economic boost for the islands.

The figure was close to last year’s record-breaking attendance and almost 17 per cent up on 2012.

Caroline Maclennan, the festival director, said: “Being named as a finalist in the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards is another major achievement in what has been a very successful year.

“Recognition of this nature is a fitting reward for the all the hard work done by an army of volunteers who help ensure HebCelt continues to grow and thrive.”

The festival also showed again it is one of the greenest events in the world by improving its recycling record and minimising the amount of waste going to landfill.

Earlier this year HebCelt was selected as one of the top 10 UK summer festivals for the fourth year in succession by influential publication Songlines.

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