UNISON Scotland

Sponsorship Policy Guidelines

1. Sponsorship means the provision of financial support to an organisation, project or event from which benefit to UNISON will be derived through linked publicity.

2. The linked publicity must give UNISON significant opportunities to explain the union's policies or to promote a good image of the union or of trade unions as a whole.

3. Applications should be channelled through the Regional Communicatlons Officer and dealt with by the Communications and Campaigns Committee.

4. The Committee, advised by the Regional Communications Officer, will select projects for sponsorship so as to vary the types of sponsorship between the arts, sport and other activities, and, by monitoring them, build up experience and a clearer picture of the most suitable forms of sponsorship for UNISON.

5. In principle, UNISON will seek to be sole or principal sponsor of any project.

8. Priority will be given to the following two categories in selecting projects:

(a) those that extend access to disadvantaged or generally neglected minority groups

(b) those that might not happen without the sponsorship, but which are worth encouraging for social or general political reasons.

7. UNISON will not sponsor any service or activity that should by definition be paid for from public funds alone.

8. UNISON will not sponsor any organisation or project whose policies or contents are inconsistent with UNISON's policies.

9. When sponsorship is agreed, the benefits to be derived from it must be clearly stated in the agreement with the organisation being sponsored.

10. A sum will be provided for sponsorship in the Scottish Communications Estimates.

11. Branches will be encouraged to make some provision for sponsorships, as far as that is practical, in their communications planning and budgetting and to observe these policy guidelines in making sponsorship contracts.

7:84 Theatre Company

7:84 Theatre Company was born in Scotland in 1973, in the turbulence of left politics.

John McGrath, a successful stage and television writer, created the company as a new form of drama, aiming at producing entertainment which approached people who would not normally think of the theatre as a 'good night out'.

Breaking the mould of traditional theatre based companies, 7:84 started new community-based tours, playing in community centres, halls and small theatres throughout Scotland, and addressing major political issues in a revolutionary way.

Their first (and still the most famous) production in 1973 was the Cheviot, the Stag, and the Black, Black Oil, synthesising popular entertainment with a political critique of capitalist treatment of the Scottish Highlands and its people.

Over the next 12 years McGrath's pen created plays that dealt with most of the contemporary issues - with the exception of the unsuccessful devolution referendum of 1979.

In 1978, the market had grown so much that Wildcat, a company based on the musicians in 7:84 was born.

The election of the Thatcher Government in 1979 brought plenty more topics but an increasingly hostile atmosphere and this, coupled with a large deficit and administrative problem lead to the withdrawal of the company's Arts Council revenue funding in 1988.

Changes in the board and in the management of the company also brought a new direction - in favour of new writing and a more personal approach to the political issues of the day. Iain Reekie, appointed Artistic Director in 1991, began to create the 'new' 7:84 - whilst maintaining its political allegiances and its aim to provide theatre for the people.

UNISON's connection with 7:84 has been continuous since 1983 when NALGO commissioned a street theatre production 'On the Pig's Back'.

Since then there have been regular sponsorship of 7:84 productions that are particularly appropriate, culminating in the successful show Caledonia Dreaming in 1997 - an early contribution to the campaign for a YES: YES vote in the devolution referendum.

Chris Bartter, UNISON's Communications Officer has been a member of the 7:84 Board since 1988 and is now Chairperson. He is proud of 7:84's achievements.

"The creation of the more personal approach to politics was a necessary change for the company after 15 years of Thatcherite attacks on our society.”

He said, "And the tremendous work that the Company does working with community groups through our Outreach Director John Heraghty, is an example to all who want to develop arts at a community level.

"I am particularly pleased that the company has not lost its cutting edge and the latest production 'Dissent' will cause an uncomfortable squirming in a few politicians.

A dynamic political theatre company is as vital now as it was 30 years ago. 7:84 is ideally placed to assist in building a new politics in Scotland.”