Australian jazz singer and pianist Janet Seidel, who described the popular Caithness arts facility as "world-class", has urged the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) to safeguard its future.

The long-established venue is under threat after its latest funding bid was rejected by the SAC. It means the centre will be left with a £25,000 shortfall next year – just under 50 per cent of its running costs.

Ms Seidel, who learned of the decision on the Groat and Courier website, performed at the venue three years ago while on a UK tour with her jazz trio.

"We were rather amazed that such a tiny outpost could successfully run such a charming and world-class arts centre," she told the John O'Groat Journal. "The chance to appear in Lyth was exciting for us and we were warmed by the wonderful audience response to our sold-out concert."

The Sydney-based artiste – hailed as Australia's First Lady of Jazz – believes SAC's decision to no longer support the Lyth centre under its flexible funding programme is galling after the venue was initially commended for its good work when its application was first reviewed by an SAC lead officer.

In the officer's report it was recommended that the grant, if awarded, be increased to include additional project funding. However, when the application was then passed to a number of specialist advisers, they rated it as a low priority for support.

Lyth was criticised for submitting a vague application and a business plan that was lacking in detail. The report also stated that the venue's programme did not set out to challenge audiences.

Ms Seidel argued: "The article describes a panel of experts who deemed that Lyth arts funding was a low priority based on the lack of challenge the programme presented to the audience.

"Programming is a specialist activity and the objective is usually to attract an audience by providing the best quality performers available. Whether they are challenging the audience should surely be a secondary concern."

Ms Seidel, who during her trip to the Far North visited the Castle of Mey and John O'Groats, hopes to return to Lyth Arts Centre next year as part of another UK tour.

She added: "I do hope some sense of the real worth of Lyth Arts Centre can be seen by SAC and funding remain in place. For such a small place to have its own arts centre is most unusual. To have it run mostly by volunteers shows a real community spirit and passion for quality."

SAC's flexible funding programme was introduced in 2006 to promote innovation, growth and development within the sector.

This year it received more than 100 applications seeking support of £15 million. Sixty-three organisations were successful and £6.9 million was awarded by the joint board of SAC and Scottish Screen.

The arts council has had a long association with the artist-led venue, providing financial assistance since it opened in 1977.

Despite a funding cut to Lyth in 2006 – which resulted in the loss of a newly-created director's post at the venue – the arts council had provided additional money to finance an enhanced programme of music events and workshops.

Janet Seidel – Lyth Arts Centre is 'world-class'.

The centre's director, William Wilson, has already expressed his surprise and disappointment at the knock-back, which will take effect from April next year. But he maintains that the venue has continued to attract interest from high-profile musicians despite the announcement at the end of last month.

He said: "Practically every day we receive requests from theatre companies and musicians all wanting to perform here. When told that, at the moment, we're not in a position to continue, they can't understand how such a good venue could be sidelined.

"Without exception they always report that Lyth is the kind of venue which is a dream to perform in. As a matter of course many of the best Scottish performers want to return to Lyth again and again."

Mr Wilson maintained that there was a similar feeling among the venue's 100-strong membership and other regulars who attend from its mailing list of over 300.

"In some cases, we're seeing a third generation with older people remembering visits they made to the centre in the 1970s and who are keen to see their grandchildren coming to our children's shows," he explained.

"It takes so long to build up community support on that level and it takes that degree of community support and goodwill for arts organisations to survive. If such support is lost it can take several generations for it to be rebuilt.

"An arts centre is not just a building, it's a community of people and a wider community of artists using a facility to engage with each other."

Members of the centre's executive committee have already had a series of informal meetings to discuss options available for the venue, while a full meeting is scheduled to take place on May 25.

Mr Wilson hopes to see a combined effort by Lyth Arts Society and the Highland Council – which already provides the venue with some funding – to try to persuade SAC to find an alternative way to continue its support.

He believes, however, that the Lyth centre has always been a prototype for more integrated arts provision in both Wick and Thurso.

"The hundreds of performances at Lyth, and likewise at the Mill Theatre in Thurso over the last 30 years, should give the local authority confidence to provide new community arts buildings as a matter of urgency," he said.

"If built on an appropriate scale, properly designed and well managed, they can create the kind of community spirit which both these towns are desperate to retain."

e.mackay@nosn.co.uk

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