Air Splaoid! - the most ambitious Gaelic learning and awareness campaign ever – launches as Highland 2007 gets under way. The year-long events extravaganza kicks off with the Lifescan Monster Street Party in Inverness on Friday 12th Jan 2007.

Keep your eyes open for Dwelly, the fantastic Gaelic guide for the Air Splaoid! campaign, who will be on the streets with his fellow party-goers. Feel free to approach him and learn a phrase or two as he meets and greets people at the Inverness Town House from 6.30pm on Friday night.

Air Splaoid! is the exciting new Gaelic learning and awareness campaign that will run throughout Highland 2007, is free to all and aims to teach everyone in Scotland some Gaelic.

This is the first Gaelic course of its kind, where participants can access Gaelic learning material for free via the Internet from anywhere in the world. Participants will take part in a virtual tour of the Highlands and Islands, sampling different events during Highland 2007. Participants can choose one of five animated characters to follow around the Highlands as they visit a range of exciting events online.

The website, www.airsplaoid.co.uk, contains games, interesting facts and brilliant animations that will engage learners and help dispel some of the myths surrounding the language. Learning will be made easy using fun activities interspersed with snippets of cultural and historical information. Every element will be available online making this a different learning experience. Anyone who is interested can register for information online.

On Sat 13th Jan 2007, there will be another chance to meet Dwelly at the Family Fun Day at Inverness Leisure between 9am and 11am. Dwelly will be there at 10am to teach Caley (Inverness Leisure’s mascot) a Gaelic song. Why not come along to catch a glimpse of this Gaelic wonder and join in the fun?

Air Splaoid! aims to:

• give people the chance to learn Gaelic
• promote wider access to Gaelic across Scotland
• increase the number of Gaelic speakers in the long-term
• dispel myths and preconceptions about the Gaelic language and culture

For further information contact:

Rachel Alcorn
Project Marketing Manager, Air Splaoid!
(01471) 888 505
rachel@canan.co.uk