Viking Fest bosses thank Largs businesses after 'overwhelming' support to keep event alive
The Largs Viking Festival bosses are thanking local businesses after they helped sponsor the event to plug a funding gap of £30,000
The team behind the annual Largs Viking Festival say they couldn’t have gone ahead this year without the support of businesses in the local community.
As they gear up to celebrate the 760th anniversary of the Battle of Largs, organisers say the process for this year’s 8-day event has been difficult as they faced a funding gap of £30,000.
Funding usually provided through a grant by Event Scotland wasn’t acquired this year, putting the festival at risk and forcing the team to launch a Patreon scheme to plug the gap.
However, head organiser Lesley McCormack says they’ve received ‘overwhelming support’ from organisations and individuals within the community to make sure the tradition is kept going.
READ MORE: Extra train services in place for Viking Festival and International Ayrshow
She told Greatest Hits Radio: “It obviously has been a difficult organising process and we’ve really had to think out the box for this year to keep the festival alive.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the response by our local businesses here in Largs. As far as sponsorship and general support is concerned, they have been absolutely fantastic.
“The whole town has come together both in spirit and financially in support of the festival this year, and we’re so glad to be able to celebrate the 43rd annual event and the 760th anniversary of the battle of Largs.
“We still can’t really believe the support we’ve had and not only from the businesses but from everyone in the public.
“Everyone is really looking forward to it, so I would just like to say a big thank you to all the local businesses in Largs and everyone else who has sponsored and supported us this year.
“We really couldn’t have done it without them.”
Bosses have their fingers crossed next year won’t be as much of a struggle as they reserve hopes of re-acquiring the Event Scotland Funding in 2024.
Regardless, they are expecting thousands of people to flock to the North Ayrshire coast for the event, and ScotRail have even added additional services to accommodate the influx of visitors.
You can find the full festival programme here.