Projects across Scotland have been awarded almost £600,000 to promote the use of Gaelic.
Various organisations were given a total of 50 grants ranging in size from £200 to £45,000 by the Bòrd na Gàidhlig, the public body which supports the language’s development.
Among them were Western Isles Council, which will spend £20,000 offering Gaelic classes to its apprentices.
The local authority also received grants for eSgoil, an online system helping children develop their Gaelic skills, and for a programme offering up to 15 Gaelic-speaking students places at a summer placement in a job using the language.
Other projects include a vocabulary resource for staff at Highlands and Islands Airport, a pilot in which school pupils will interview the older generation to preserve heritage, and a Gaelic environmental awareness course to tie in with the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.
An Aberdeen University scheme to help speakers who have not used the language in a number of years to regain their skill was given £20,000.
‘Drive the development’
The grants have been awarded in the latest round of the Gaelic Language Act Implementation Fund (GLAIF).
Bòrd na Gàidhlig chairwoman Mairi MacInnes said: “Bòrd na Gàidhlig continues to provide the platform to help drive the development of Gaelic, not just in the Highlands and Islands, but throughout Scotland.
“Awards to the likes of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth & Kinross councils show our commitment to growing Gaelic the length and breadth of the country and are vital to bringing the language to a new audience.
“This form of funding plays a major role in ensuring that the language’s rich history is preserved and built upon in order to bring it to the future generations.”