WORKING TO THE BENEFIT OF HAWICK AND ITS COMMUNITIES
Since 2010, Alchemy Film & Arts has brought thousands of artists and film lovers from all over the world to Hawick, Scottish Borders.
Visits to our Hawick-based events have grown from 778 in 2011 to more than 6000 by 2019 and more than 30,000 to our online events – in addition to 27,000 visits to Rachel Maclean’s exhibition at the Venice Biennale, which Alchemy curated in 2017.
In 2018, Alchemy employed three members of staff; in 2022 this had grown to a team of ten. Our programme has expanded in recent years to include year-round community partnerships, workshops and skills development programmes with local participants, artist residencies of local thematic interest, and projects delivered in collaboration with schools and key services.
Such growth is both reflected and enabled by our status within Creative Scotland’s portfolio of Regular Funded Organisations. With additional funding from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Robertson Trust, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, William Grant Foundation, Scottish Borders Council, Regional Screen Scotland, in-kind support from Live Borders and event-specific sponsors, Alchemy continues to go from strength to strength in working to the benefit of Hawick and its communities.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
In addition to the social and cultural benefit that Alchemy Film & Arts brings to the Scottish Borders, the organisation brings an annual spend of more than £350,000 to the region.
This includes: our creation of jobs in Hawick, employing between five and twelve members of staff per year; Alchemy’s rental of local properties, venues and office space, totalling more than £24,000 per year; Alchemy’s use of local restaurants and accommodation, totalling more than £30,000 per year; our commitment to working with local shops, specialists and services; visitors to Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, who spend an average of £300 per visit; and an ongoing fundraising campaign which brings around £170,000 to be spent on Hawick and Scottish Borders-based projects each year.
WHERE THE MONEY GOES: 2021-22
