Fife unveils exciting new online projects to entertain in lockdown

It is the brainchild of ONFife which runs the region’s theatres, libraries, museums and art galleries.

It aims to keep people informed and entertained during lockdown, and will bring a host of creative ideas out of the buildings, which are all closed, and online.

Almost overnight, OnFife has transformed many services previously provided face-to-face to embrace the challenge of engaging with people through digital channels.

And with the new ShineOnFife campaign, it is set to become the online place to go for cultural information, support and entertainment in the Kingdom.

Tapping into its creativity as the Kingdom’s largest cultural organisation, it will be shining the spotlight on inspiring activities not only from ONFife but also the best virtual cultural experiences from throughout the UK and beyond.

“Creativity is valuable to our communities and in these unprecedented times, it’s even more important that we help people connect with each other and show that staying home doesn’t mean you’re on your own,” said Heather Stuart, chief executive.

“We’re saying to our communities that we’re still here and we’re with you.

“Our teams are pulling out all the stops to develop new community-focused activities that support, inform, engage and entertain, from reaching out directly to customers who might need reassurance to providing amazing online events for families with children at home.

“We’re very keen to engage in a way that is relevant to our communities so we welcome any other ideas from people and communities that may add to what we’re doing, thus helping us all through this challenging time together.

New projects already launched or being developed include:

Fife in Lockdown – a museums-led community-engagement project that will become a lasting legacy recording the stories and experiences of people in Fife during the major historical event we’re living through.

It will create a permanent archive of diaries, personal experiences, drawings, photographs and other objects that can eventually be shared in an exhibition but can also be tapped into as a resource by future generations to learn about the time.

LibrarYAY – this new Facebook group developed by the Libraries Young People team has been a runaway success, attracting more than 1000 members in a matter of days from its launch.

It tailors creative, inspiring activities for customers of all ages, with new content being posted hourly throughout the day.

#ONFifeCares – will see staff reach out to some of ONFife’s most vulnerable customers by phone to reassure them about services, have a chat and see how they can

reimagine theirservice offer to support them

Virtual Stages – while the doors to the theatres are closed, ONFife’s ‘virtual stages’ are still very much open for entertainment.

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For example, there will be a Film Club where customers can vote for their favourite moves and watch films streamed through ONFife channels.

Budding actors are being encouraged to record themselves performing their favourite scene so their talent can be shared with a wider audience.

ONFife is also tapping into its extensive network of contacts in the cultural sector to share fantastic content with Fife audiences from throughout the UK and beyond, such as the release of the highly acclaimed National Theatre Live performance of Fleabag.

Create in Fife 2020 – a new Facebook group designed to engage and support professional creatives.

It will provide a channel for people to continue to collaborate, showcase work, get new ideas and stay motivated and inspired.

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Thank you

Allan Crow, Editor, Fife Free Press