Glasgow Airport’s FlightPath Fund has awarded £4144 to ensure 20 local primary schools enjoy a children’s theatre production with an important environmental message.
Titled ‘Plop! In The Ocean’, the ecological-themed production is currently on tour and has been performed in four of the 20 schools in Glasgow, Renfrewshire, East and West Dunbartonshire thanks to generous award made available by the FlightPath Fund. The remaining 16 performances will take place this month.
The production is a collaboration between Glasgow-based registered charity Hopscotch Theatre Company, storyteller Sarah Mooney and artist-researcher Sara Hopfinger.
A central theme of the production comes from the pages of Sarah’s diary and her experiences while taking part in a sailing expedition across the Atlantic with a group of female scientists studying plastic pollution and ocean toxicity.
Archie Hunter, Chair of the FlightPath Fund, said: “Our committee was really impressed with both the application from the Hopscotch Theatre Company and the central themes of this fabulous production.
“Supporting projects that educate young people about the environment and how we can protect it for future generations is one of the central aims of the work of the FlightPath Fund.”
Over £90,000 has been made available in 2022 to help support groups and projects within the communities local to the airport.
More than 40 groups, clubs and charities from a diverse range of areas have benefitted so far this year to the tune of £50,000 and the FlightPath Fund’s committee is urging more to come forward to apply for support.
Thomas McCulloch, Producer & General Manager at Hopscotch Theatre, said: “Plop! in the Ocean is our first in-person touring production since 2019, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The support of Glasgow Airport's Flightpath Fund has allowed us to engage with young audiences across the four local authorities bordering Glasgow Airport and spread the message of how young people can support and have a positive impact on their environment.
“The production has been seen by over 5000 young people from local communities in the West of Scotland, including during Scottish Climate Week, 2022."
The FlightPath Fund’s committee, which includes elected representatives from each of the four local authorities bordering Glasgow Airport, meets regularly throughout the year to consider all applications made and to allocate any agreed financial support.
The FlightPath Fund’s Committee is keen to hear from and support sustainability-themed projects aimed at improving the environment in the communities local to the airport.
The next meeting of the FlightPath Fund is on Friday 18 November and applications for support must be submitted not later than three weeks prior to this date.
To find out more about applying for funding support, visit: www.glasgowairport.com/community and download the application form and our funding guidelines.