Creative Scotland's launch party at the Roxy in Edinburgh last Thursday featured music from Idlewild's Rod Jones, clarsach suprema Corrina Hewat, and spectacular, heart-in-mouth acrobatic and aerial performances from Suspended Motion, sandwiched round a Q&A session chaired by Kaye Adams. Billed as "An Audience with Andrew Dixon and Sandy Crombie", questioners came from all areas of the arts and were not pre-selected, judging by the tenor of many of them.

A networking tea followed, with strawberries, and not only the two headliners but also the three creative directors (Iain Munro, Vena Dhupa, and Caroline Parkinson) circulated freely. The general feeling amongst those I spoke to was enthusiasm for the new organisation. Despite the threats to funding levels, there's a feeling that what funds remain will be used wisely and imaginatively, that the application process will finally be streamlined, and that the organisation will have a heart - as demonstrated by Dixon's story from his time in Newcastle when there was £10K left in the coffers at the end of the year. It would have been prudent to add it to the reserves - but instead they handed it to choreographer Liv Lorent, to use it to make a difference. (SDT's Janet Smith, who's commissioned Lorent more than once, nodded her head enthusiastically at this point).

Iain Munro, talking afterwards over tea, said that when Creative Scotland moves to its new premises in the old GPO building (opposite the Balmoral Hotel and the General Records Office, very handy for Waverley) in December, they'll be operating an open doors policy, very probably with hotdesking facilities - great news for all those who till now have had to spend time seeking libraries, cafes and galleries with free WiFi. The idea of a regular networking evening was raised and the word 'fun' was spoken - heady stuff after these taxing years of indecision.I also had a very enjoyable conversation with Venu Dhupa who's promised to try to get to the PAN forum in Ullapool; hope she manages it. She's a breath of fresh air.  There were so many lovely folk to talk to that it was impossible to speak to them all; managed to have a quick chat with a few including our lead officer at Creative Scotland, Susan Hay, PAN patron Gerry Mulgrew, Gerda Stevenson,  Elspeth Murray,Tricia Munoz, FST's Jon Morgan, who's going to be our guest chair in Ullapool, HIE's Iain Hamilton, and Phyllis Martin, who came to the last PAN forum in her capacity as DGAA's arts officer.

Phyllis is now working on a project with Suspended Motion and said there was a theme to the pieces they performed, which seemed to be about working together in order to survive and achieve grace and harmony - certainly co-operation and sharing resources were the themes that Dixon returned to again and again in his answers. They're also, possibly coincidentally (but possibly not), the themes that Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise, Energy & Tourism, waxed eloquently on at a recent Destination Loch Ness event at the Town House in Inverness.

Hope to see you in Ullapool in October,

Jennie Macfie, Chair

PS  Congratulations to the team who organised the Roxy event - smooth operators.