Edinburgh Tattoo 2019 to donate £1m to UK military charities
Howard Lake | 5 October 2019 | News
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will donate £1 million to 13 UK military charities and arts organisations this year. This brings its total charitable donations to more than £12 million since the event began in 1950.
Nine armed services charities will share £775,000, including ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and RAF Benevolent Fund.
The event organisers have been committed to donating £1 million each year since 2016. The donations are made from the financial surplus of the organisation’s business accomplishments throughout the year.
Arts funding
In addition, funding has also been awarded to two long-standing Scottish arts funds. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Youth Talent Development Fund, run in conjunction with Creative Scotland, will receive £150,000 to provide young artists with financial support to refine their talents in traditional music and dance.
In partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, the Tattoo will also donate £50,000 to the city’s Culture Project Fund which is distributed to organisations in Edinburgh to encourage more engagement from local people in the arts.
The Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) will receive £20,000 to support its work in showcasing Edinburgh as an international arts destination.
The Royal Lyceum Theatre will receive £5,000 to support the development of its ‘Creative Pathways Programme’.
Sell-out show
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Finale
This year the Tattoo’s August performances sold out completely for the 21st consecutive year. More than 1,100 international performers and 220,000 audience members for a 100-minute showcase of military pageantry, music, dance, technical wizardry and special effects against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
Rucelle Soutar, Chief Operating Officer at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “As always, a strong component of this year’s donation has been awarded to organisations that will continue to support and care for veterans, as well as inspiring the next generation of musicians and dancers. We’re also passionate about engaging young people with the Armed Forces and helping to provide stability and offer a launch pad for future generations.”
Beneficiaries of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity
Major General (Ret’d) Martin Rutledge, Chief Executive of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity thanked the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo for its continued support. He said: “This substantial grant enables us to continue providing support to the Army family when they need it most. This may be to young serving families coping with a sudden bereavement or traumatic loss, home adaptions or funding for skills training and education.”
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.