We have seen so many examples of arts and culture being embedded in communities

MY HOPES FOR 2022: Charlotte Mountford, co-director of Lyth Arts Centre

One lesson to be drawn from the pandemic is the value of arts and culture to community recovery, according to Lyth Arts Centre co-director Charlotte Mountford.

The venue has led a wide range of creative projects over the past year, including the innovative Caithness Artists in Residence programme and the successful Northern Lights Festival centred around Wick harbour.

Listing her three main hopes for the Caithness community, for the arts and culture sector and for Scotland as a whole in 2022, Ms Mountford said: "Despite the huge challenges the last 20 months have thrown at us, Caithness has come together to collaborate and have meaningful conversations to support everyone in our community. I hope that in 2022 this spirit of collaboration will continue as we tackle issues coming out of the pandemic and those problems that existed before.

"Throughout the pandemic we have seen so many examples of arts and culture being embedded in communities to support health and wellbeing, education, inclusion and so much more. I hope that this spirit of participation, this understanding of the value of arts and culture to community recovery, remains at the forefront of the sector and in the minds of our funders.

"After the COP26 climate change conference, Scotland now has a chance to be a key player in urgent climate action needed to protect the planet. I hope Scotland has the bravery, knowledge, tools and resources to participate in global climate action and advocate for change."

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