HEBCELT BAND FLYING HIGH WITH HELP OF LOGANAIR
News release
Hebridean Celtic Festival
Year of Homecoming 2014
- Loganair flies talent show winners to HebCelt
- Inverness band arrive for Island Stage gig
- Airline also helps other acts get to festival
A young band on cloud nine after winning a talent contest arrived in style to play their gig at the Hebridean Celtic Festival
Members of the Inverness-based band Hò-rò were flown to Stornoway courtesy of Flybe franchise partner Loganair in honour of them winning the One Step Further contest at HebCelt which guaranteed them a coveted stage slot at the award-winning event.
Hò-rò, formed just over a year ago, beat competition from all over the UK to win the competition which is held annually by the festival to find the best young acts.
The group, which has just returned from playing two Celtic festivals in Italy, performed on the Islands Stage in the main festival arena.
The accolade is a second triumph this year for the five-piece who won a Danny Kyle Open Stage at Celtic Connections award in January.
Hò-rò, which takes its name from the sound often heard in Gaelic songs, comprises Sean Cousins, 21, from Inverness, (guitar/percussion); Calum MacPhail, 16, from Fort William, (accordion); Lucy Doogan, 21, from Ballachulish,(vocals/fiddle); and Crisdean MacDonald, 20, from South Uist, (Border pipes/ Highland pipes/bodhran). They were joined for the HebCelt gig by 15-year-old drummer Rory Grindlay, from West Calder.
Sean said: “We are extremely grateful to Loganair for arranging the flight. We have been travelling a great deal this year and having this journey organised has helped us fulfil a very busy schedule.”
Roy Bogle| Director of Revenue & Scheduling , Loganair, said: “Hò-rò are a really talented and exciting young band who have done exceptionally well to win the One Step Further contest. We wanted to do something to recognise their achievements and flying band members to Stornoway was an ideal way of showing our support for them and for HebCelt which is such an important event for the islands.”
Loganair also stepped in when another HebCelt act, the Magnolia Sisters, from Louisianna, missed a connecting flight to Amsterdam which delayed their travel to Glasgow and onwards to Stornoway. The airline helped re-allocate the group’s original booking and assisted in finding overnight accommodation in Glasgow
Festival director Caroline Maclennan said: “Loganair have been marvellous in arranging the flight for Ho-ro and helping us with the Magnolia Sisters’ flight difficulties. That on top of managing our other bookings -some at the very last minute - has been a great help to us and we hope our association continues.”
The One Step Further contest for young artists is now an annual feature of the award-winning Hebridean Celtic Festival which attracts an international audience of more than 16,000 to Stornoway in the island of Lewis.
The 19th HebCelt was headlined by Big Country, Levellers and Donnie Munro. Cara Dillon, Rachel Sermanni, Duncan Chisholm and Canadian outfit Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys.were also part of the event’s biggest ever programme.
The festival attracts interest from across the world and last year was selected as one of the Top 10 UK summer festivals by influential music publication Songlines for the third successive year.
NOTES TO EDITORS
In 2013 a total of 16,000 people visited HebCelt, generating around £1 million for the local economy.
The event was selected for the third year in succession as one of the top ten UK summer festivals by music magazine Songlines and was shortlisted in the Best Independent Festival category in the AIM Independent Music Awards.
It was also hailed as one of the greenest festivals in the world after being the only Scottish event to receive an Outstanding award from environmental campaign group A Greener Festival. In addition, it was shortlisted in the Greener Festival category in the UK Festival Awards.
In 2011 it was ranked Best Large Festival at the industry-sponsored Scottish Event Awards and it won Best Event of the Year award at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards in 2004 and 2009.
For more information contact
John Ross
Lucid PR
01463 724593; 077300 99617
johnross@lucidmessages,com
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