Funding aims to inspire Manx language projects

Culture Vannin is launching a £26,000 fund for Manx language community projects

A cultural organisation has set aside £26,000 for community projects centred around developing and celebrating the Manx language.

Breesha Maddrell, Director of Culture Vannin, said she hopes the fund will "capture people's imaginations" and help "support creative, ambitious and meaningful ideas that will make a real difference for the language".

The launch of the fund coincides with the Year of the Manx Language, a celebration of the island's native tongue.

Dr Maddrell said the fund was a "way of widening participation on the island and internationally", as well as "putting the Manx language in the centre of things."

She said the organisation had decided not to set a limit for individual grants in order to give people a "freedom" they would not usually have in funding applications.

'Power of community'

Project ideas might involve concerts, research, publications, workshops, recordings or educational resources, said Dr Maddrell.

She added: "We want projects that will have some sort of online delivery so we can maximise reach and accessibility."

"We have always been quite stunned by the power of the community in creating something that is incredibly special, has impact and is really worthwhile."

"The Manx language is really important to a sense of place," she said, highlighting its impact on "place names, on the patterns of our speech, on the businesses and brands that we have around us".

The year-long celebration of Manx coincides with a number of other seminal anniversaries, including 10 years of Biosphere Isle of Man and 35 years of Manx being taught in all schools.

The celebration is set to be co-ordinated by Jeebin, the Manx Language Network, which works to increase accessibility of the native tongue.

Applications for the grants are open until 31 October, with projects that promote a positive image of the Manx language, increase participation, inspire creativity and establish a legacy, to be prioritised.