Royal National Mod 2028
Argyll and Bute Council · 20 February 2025
Back to Policy and Resources Committee — 20 February 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH 20 FEBRUARY 2025 ROYAL NATIONAL MOD 2028 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek approval in principle on An Comunn’s offer for Argyll and Bute to host the Royal National Mòd (RNM) in 2028. 1.2 To secure this would require funding of up to £200K from the Council to be allocated across financial years 2025-2026 to 2028-2029. It would also require funding of circa £25k for Live Argyll staffing during the RNM delivery. An Comunn are keen to highlight that they are happy to work with the Council around this figure to see what might be possible and recognise the cost to the Council of the in-kind support which is provided through Live Argyll. 1.3 An Comunn successfully delivered the RNM in Oban on 11th-19th October 2024 with almost 9,000 attendees and an economic impact of just over £3.6m. 1.4 The preferred location is Oban due to the key criteria for the event being a strong local organising committee, infrastructure, accommodation and venues, however the decision on location is a joint decision between Council and An Comunn Board and is subject to risk regarding the key criteria. RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that Members of the Policy and Resources Committee: i. Provide an in principle agreement on hosting the RNM in Dunoon or Oban in 2028 and for the requirement to enter into an agreement with An Comunn to provide a maximum of £200K financial support over a four year period with the final payment in financial year 2028-2029. ii. Agree to the Council working with Live Argyll to secure the use of the venues for the duration of the RNM at no cost to the RNM. iii. Note that the An Comunn Board meet in March 2025 and have requested that the Council provide an in principle decision by this date.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH 20 FEBRUARY 2025 ROYAL NATIONAL MOD 2028 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 The Council recognises the cultural and educational significance of supporting the development of the Gaelic language and the provision of local and national Mòd events. The RNM holds a very special place in the history of Argyll and Scottish culture. The value of holding a national Mòd in Argyll has long been recognised by Argyll and Bute Council through its previous support. This support reflects the significance of the RNM event in providing opportunities to celebrate, support and develop our national language and culture as well as demonstrating the area’s ability to host national events, the boost it gives to the local tourism industry by providing ‘authentic experiences’ for visitors that underpins the industry’s wider growth ambitions. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 It is recommended that Members of the Policy and Resources Committee: i. Provide an in principle agreement on hosting the RNM in Dunoon or Oban in 2028 and for the requirement to enter into an agreement with An Comunn to provide a maximum of £200K financial support over a four year period with the final payment in financial year 2028-2029. ii. Agree to the Council working with Live Argyll to secure the use of the venues for the duration of the RNM at no cost to the RNM. iii. Note that the An Comunn Board meet in March 2025 and have requested that the Council provide an in principle decision by this date. 4.0 DETAIL 4.1 The Council has had an SLA with An Comunn for hosting the RNM in Argyll and Bute over a number of years, with a previous commitment to host an RNM in the area every three years. Most recently, the RNM was held in Oban in 2015, Dunoon in October 2018 and last year in Oban, the home of the RNM. 4.2 The SLA is supported by a post event analysis to ensure the anticipated benefits are realised – this includes an understanding of the impact of the
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events on the local economy. It is clear from monitoring and evaluation of previous events that the RNM brings significant economic benefit to the local economy. This is as a consequence of increased visitor numbers and spend in the area from those attending and taking part in the event. 4.3 The key economic impact and other findings from the 2024 Oban RNM evaluation report are summarised below and a copy of this is included at Appendix 1: • Numbers attending including competitors - 8,933. • Event rating – very good/good atmosphere 94%, organisation 90%, fringe events 90%, competition 85%, and information 82% • Economic Impact - £3,618,308. • Return on investment - £1:26. • Visitors - A total of 74% of visitors were from outside Argyll & Bute and 80% stayed overnight. • Views on Oban - Almost all (98%) visited local restaurants/cafes/pubs, 90% local shops and 78% local visitor attractions/places of interest. Oban is highly thought of with 96% rating it very good/good as a host destination. • Return Visits - A total of 86% said they are very likely/likely to return to Oban for a future leisure visit. • Gaelic - The Mòd has led 78% to believe more strongly in the importance of Gaelic. For 64% it has increased their awareness and 60% their understanding of Gaelic arts. It has encouraged 67% to improve their Gaelic language skills and 65% to use Gaelic more often. For 53% it has enhanced their Gaelic skills. 4.4 In addition to these findings, the RNM attracts significant publicity. The RNM in Oban in 2025 was broadcast live by BBC Alba over the week, and media coverage across 2024 included national and local press, tv, radio and social media. 4.5 There are strong reasons for the Council supporting a future RNM in Argyll and Bute. These are as follows to: • Ensure the sustainability of the Gaelic language through support for the showpiece event; • Promote high level media coverage of the only significant national cultural event held in Argyll and Bute; • Ensure that the event can be held in Argyll and Bute and thus generate significant economic benefit to the towns where it is held; • Support the wide range of cultural activities which take place during Mòd week; • Promote the provision of high quality competitions in Gaelic music, drama and arts; • Promote the development of the Gaelic language through the wide range of school choirs participating in the National Mòd events; • To maintain a long-standing Scottish tradition. 4.6 The current SLA expires in March 2025. In the absence of any further agreements being in place with the RNM for Argyll and Bute to host a future
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RNM as part of the systematic national circuit, An Comunn have asked if Argyll and Bute would wish to host the RNM 2028. Lochaber are due to host the RNM in 2025, Glasgow in 2026 and Western Isles in 2027. 4.7 Following initial discussions with An Comunn in regard to the possibility of Argyll and Bute hosting a future RNM, An Comunn have asked if Argyll and Bute Council would consider Oban as a venue for the 2028 event based on the success of last year’s RNM in the town. This success was due to the strength of the local organising committee, the infrastructure, accommodation and venues. There are other towns which could be considered such as Dunoon where it has been held previously however the successes of any RNM relies on the factors described, including transport infrastructure. 4.8 If the Council is minded to host the RNM in 2028, funding support will be required to secure this. An Comunn’s request is for up to £200k however this amount is open to discussion alongside the in-kind support which has previously been provided as described the paragraph below. A new agreement will require to be drafted between both parties in regard to the hosting in 2028 RNM, and also to confirm the provision of the necessary funding support. 4.9 The An Comunn Board meet in March 2025 and have requested that the Council provide an in principle decision by this date. This is to enable An Comunn to programme in the location of RNMs going forward, with other towns having expressed a preference for the years 2029 and 2030. 4.10 In the previous SLA, an in-kind payment was included to provide Corran Halls and staff costs free of change to An Comunn, and this would also need to be considered going forward. Based on last years event, the estimated cost of venue provision is considered to be in the region of £25K. 4.11 An Comunn has advised that the use of Live Argyll venues for the RNM in 2028 would be critical to the success of the event. Without this being provided at no cost to the RNM it would be unlikely that the RNM would be able to cover the venue and associated staff support costs from within their own budget. The Council will therefore require to work with Live Argyll to secure this and to include this within an agreement with Live Argyll and in the agreement with An Comunn. 5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 Over the last ten years the Council has hosted three very successful RNMs, the first being in Oban in 2015, then Dunoon in 2018 and recently Oban in 2024. These events provided a successful economic stimulus within the area and greatly contributed to supporting our Gaelic language and culture. 5.2 Council budget is required to support the RNM in 2028. It is therefore recommended that P&R provide an in principle decision to accept An Comunn’s offer and the associated funding for both An Comunn and Live Argyll. This will enable officers to proceed with further discussions with these parties to bring
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forward any conclusions and reports required to secure the offer from An Comunn. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy - The provision of support to the RNM fits with the Council’s Gaelic Plan and specifically the Council recognises the cultural and educational significance of supporting the development of the Gaelic language and the provision of local and national Mòd event. The economic impact and promotion of the area fit with the Argyll and Bute Economic Strategy. 6.2 Financial – Up to 200k + £25K. 6.3 Legal – A new agreement/SLA will require to be drafted. 6.4 HR – Resource will be required to manage this process however this is currently managed from existing staff. 6.5 Fairer Scotland Duty - None 6.5.1 Equalities – An Comunn will comply with all Equal Opportunities/Fairer Scotland Duty policies and obligations as part of any Agreement. 6.5.2 Socio-economic Duty – The RNM will support economic growth of the area including a positive contribution to areas of disadvantage. 6.5.3 Islands – None. 6.6 Climate Change – Consideration of this will be a condition of any Agreement with An Comunn. 6.7 Risk – Risk is that if Argyll and Bute does not host a RNM then the benefits of the RNM outlined are not accrued to Argyll and Bute. 6.8 Customer Service – None. 6.9 The Rights of the Child (UNCRC) – None. Kirsty Flanagan, Executive Director with overall responsibility for Development and Economic Growth 5th February 2025 Councillor Math Campbell-Sturgess, Policy Lead for Business Development For further information contact: Fergus Murray, Head of Development and Economic Growth fergus.murray@argyll-bute.gov.uk
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APPENDICES 1. Royal National Mòd 2024 Evaluation Report 2. Appendix 1 RNM Oban 2024 Photos