WHAT a picture it would have made, one that not even this country’s Unionist media could have ignored.
The paddle steamer Waverley had been hired for a unique round-trip to the All Under One Banner (AUOB) march in Campbeltown last summer and was set to be festooned with Saltires and banners as it sailed “doon the watter” – only for the vessel’s boilers to pack in.
Yes East Ayrshire had come up with the idea but the Scottish Independence Foundation (SIF) had paid the deposit for the trip was showing yet another example of the innovation which SIF has brought to funding the Yes movement.
SIF, which does not give money to political parties, has a long list of funding achievements since it began in June 2018. The range of grants has been extensive and has covered much of the country The activities supported by SIF have included Lesley Riddoch’s brilliant Nation series of films and the pro-independence broadcast websites Broadcasting Scotland and Independence Live, which do so much to get the indy message out there.
READ MORE: National forms alliance with Scottish Independence Foundation
National columnist Riddoch said: “The Scottish Independence Foundation has twice provided vital seed funding for indy-related film projects. It was a SIF grant that helped me get the Nation series of films off the ground with Phantom Power in 2018, and the latest grant will help me make a new film with Charlie Stuart about Estonia, the Baltic Tiger which regained its independence in 1991.
“Amazingly, the Nation films have had almost 400,000 views online and more than 80 screenings – perhaps a larger audience than a late-night slot on BBC Scotland or STV.” Last October’s hugely successful AUOB march in Edinburgh received financial support at a critical point that allowed it to go ahead. The Edinburgh Yes Hub is just one of many hubs and offices supported, with SIF awarding grants worth £165,000 to 130 projects in total.
Groups given money to buy campaign and other materials include Yes Troon,Yes Tayport,Yes Kelty, Yes Musselburgh, Yes Kirkintilloch, Yes Edinburgh West, Yes Skye and Lochalsh, Yes Linton, Yes Bonnyrigg, Loanhead and District, Yes Caithness, Moffat for Yes, Yes Haddington, Outer Hebrides for Independence, Dumfries and Galloway’s mobile hub, Yes Moray,Yes Prestwick, Yes Kirkcaldy, Yes Penicuik,Yes Pollok and many more as well as the Saor Alba Pipes and Drums and the Yes Registry.
It’s a list that will grow.
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