The Friends of Wighton group has received a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Sharing Heritage1 grant, it was announced today. This exciting project, Sir Jimmy Shand – Music Collector!, based in the Wighton Heritage Centre, and led by Friends of Wighton, has been given £9,000 to carry out conservation work on 22 important music books and manuscripts which were part of Sir Jimmy’s private collection.
Friends of Wighton works to preserve, protect and promote the internationally important Wighton Collection, and the other historic music books held in Dundee Central Library’s purpose built Wighton Heritage Centre. Having acquired the Jimmy Shand Collection at auction, the group have been fundraising to enable the volumes to be properly conserved so they can be made available for the use of musicians, researchers and the community. As each volume is completed, a concert, and at least one workshop, featuring its music will be held in an appropriate venue either in Tayside or Fife (the Collection includes some wonderful manuscripts from the Brechin area). Digitisation of the rarities in the collection will make the music available to an international audience.
Commenting on the award, Friends of Wighton chairman Iain Sword said: “We are absolutely delighted with this award! Sir Jimmy Shand was world-renowned as a musician but few people know he also collected a wide range of historically important music. This award means that his music collection can come off the page and be played and studied by everyone.”
Friends of Wighton Wighton Heritage Centre Central Library Dundee DD1 1DB Friends of Wighton gratefully acknowledge the support of Leisure & Culture Dundee, TASGADH, Dundee Festival Trust, MMG Archbold, HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND