East Renfrewshire events benefit as national events programme celebrates milestone

Two East Renfrewshire events will benefit from a share of £143,500 from EventScotland’s National Programme Fund!

Article Source: VisitScotland
Last Updated: 25 April 2019 15:24

Image Credit: Ryan Johnston

Barrhead Rainbow Run and Run the Blades have been awarded grants from the milestone Round 40, to enhance event delivery and to further develop Scotland’s diverse events portfolio.

Barrhead Rainbow Run is a 5km fun run, where runners of all ages and abilities tackle a number of interactive challenges on-route, including paint stations, inflatable assault courses, slip ‘n’ slide and foam pits. It has received £4,000 to enhance the visitor experience and encourage extended stays by participants in East Renfrewshire.

Run the Blades is a unique trail running event held within the UK’s largest windfarm, Whitelee Windfarm, and incorporating three distances – 10km, half marathon and 50km ultramarathon. It has been awarded £12,500 to enhance the spectator experience of its event village, including a large outdoor screen and additional marquees.


A total of 10 events from across eight Local Authorities, will benefit from the National Programme Fund. The National Programme plays an integral role in developing domestic tourism across Scotland, having invested over £5.8 million into 511 events since its inception.

All About Barrhead BID Manager, Andy Dunlop, said: “Getting the support of EventScotland for the Barrhead Rainbow Run has been a great achievement for the event and for the community. It lets us know we are doing all the right things to ensure we keep promoting Barrhead as a positive place to work, live, shop and visit. We're very confident that this support will help us to reach people out with East Renfrewshire and keep showcasing the great work we do in the town through all of our events.”

Lee Peyton, Director of Run the Blades, said: “Support from EventScotland for the second year running will allow us to improve the participant and spectator experience at the Event Village. We’ll have music and food waiting for when runners arrive in after their run as well, as the usual awesome medal.”

Gordon Smith, VisitScotland Regional Director, said: “I’m delighted to see that both Barrhead Rainbow Run and Run the Blades are receiving funding from EventScotland’s National Programme Fund. The funding will enable both events to enhance their experience for visitors and locals alike, ensuring the region enjoys the ripple effect of success, well-being and prosperity that tourism brings to every section of society.

“Tourism is more than a holiday experience – it is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy and touches every community, generating income, jobs and social change.”

Since establishing the Programme back in 2004, EventScotland has invested more than £5.8 million into 511 events covering the length and breadth of the country. The support has allowed for the strategic development of events which occur outwith Edinburgh and Glasgow, to help drive domestic tourism, deliver economic impact for local communities and generate media profile for Scotland. It is estimated that to date the Programme has contributed £97.6 million in total to the Scottish economy.

Many of Scotland’s best loved events, including Wigtown Book Festival, Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival and the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running, have greatly benefited from the Programme’s support and have subsequently gone on to progress to EventScotland’s Beacon and International Programmes.

The National Events Programme is a strategic development programme with eligible events able to bid for a maximum of three rounds of funding. The deadline for the next round of the National Programme is 7 June 2019 with events taking place from January 2020 onwards eligible to apply. Guidelines for entry are available on www.eventscotland.org.

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