.jpg)
.jpg)
CREATE INSPIRE PROJECTS CIC
SPARKING IMAGINATION, STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY
SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT MORE & BOOK YOUR PLACE! ALL WORKSHOPS ARE FREE TO JOIN!
Ullapool Workshops Friday 25th Sept - Sun 27th Sept
Community Puppet-Building Workshop
with Greg Dobson (Black Dog Puppets) 16+
Over the weekend of the 25th-27th September, we are hoping to gather as a community and build a large puppet of Roy, the Humpback whale - A whale close to the heart of our community! - To parade it through the village on the afternoon of Sunday 27th (Weather permitting!)
Greg is responsible for the large-build puppets at Belladrum Festival and will guide us through the process, so you don’t need to have any experience at all. All our workshops are aimed at all abilities.
The puppet-building sessions are spread over 3 days and will take place at the Ceilidh Place Venue on:
Workshop 1: Friday 25th Sept 10am-4pm
Workshop 2: Saturday 26th Sept 1pm-5pm
Plus, an informal gathering on Sunday afternoon.
(No need to sign up for Sunday!)
Places are limited to 10 participants each day, due to space. You are very welcome to sign up for one or both days if you can make it!
Please specify this in your booking request, as it helps us with numbers.
Scroll down to book your place or find out more!
Sea Shanties Singing Workshop
with Sot Otter
Do you love to sing? Or are you secretly a pirate? Come along to these fun, FREE singing workshops and learn some brilliant sea shanties. Absolutely no experience necessary and no requirement to sing on your own, just a willingness to have fun.
And maybe drink the occasional bottle of grog.
These workshops take place at the Macphail Centre on the following dates:
Thurs 10th Sept 6pm-7pm
Thurs 17th Sept 6pm-7pm
Thurs 24th Sept 6pm-7pm
We will hopefully also get together on the afternoon of Sunday 27th
for a community gathering with our giant whale puppet.
(See the Puppet-Building workshop for more details on that!)
All are welcome to as many sessions as you can! All sessions are FREE.
*If you can't make the Thursday sessions but would still like to be part of the Sunday gathering, do get in touch and we will try to make it work for you :)
The more the merrier! Yar!
Scroll down to book your place or find out more!
Creative Writing Workshops
with LG Thomson
LG’s workshops are for anyone who wants to explore and experiment with creative writing. Taking inspiration from a variety of prompts, participants will learn how to overcome fear of the blank page and tap into their creativity.
We will play with words, ideas, and images. We will invent characters and discover their darkest secrets. We will write our life stories in just fifteen minutes and, through sharing our writing, we will learn about ourselves
and take inspiration from each other.
Whether you are new to creative writing or are more experienced, whether you are a budding poet, a flash fiction fan, or have a novel buried deep inside you, there will be something here for you. All you have to bring is yourself and a willingness to take part.
These four workshops will be held in An Talla Solais’s Gallery space on the following dates:
Mon 14th, Tues 15th, 21st and 22nd September. 7pm-8:30pm
Please book for these workshops through An Talla Solais’s website:
Click Here to book through ATS:
Places are limited to 8 per workshop. 16+
PLACES ARE LIMITED. BOOK YOUR PLACE(S) TODAY!
GET INVOLVED! GET IN TOUCH! - SIGN UP BELOW!
Want to sign up or find out more? We'd love to hear from you!
Please enter your contact details below and let us know which workshops you are interested in attending and which day/sessions in the 'message' box.
You are welcome to sign up for as many workshops as you like!
All workshops are FREE! Places for some workshops will be limited.
Please note that the puppet-making workshop is 16+ and places are limited due to space.
Creative Writing workshops are 16+ due to potential for sensitive content
Pop-Up Choir and Music-Making are open to all ages.
Ready to sign up?
Enter your details to register your interest below, and we'll get right back to you!
We look forward to getting creative with you :)
Want to know more about the project..?
THE TRAVELLING IMAGINARIUM PROJECT
ACHILTIBUIE LOCHINVER KINLOCHBERVIE CONTIN&GARVE ULLAPOOL
THE TRAVELLING IMAGINARIUM is rolling into a village near you,
and we’re looking for curious folk and community groups to jump
into a series of FREE creative workshops this summer.
Fancy singing in a pop‑up choir? Or maybe you’re a budding musician,
writer or poet keen to meet other imaginative souls, swap ideas, and
spark new connections. If hands‑on making is more your thing,
join our puppet‑making sessions! Everything leads to an informal afternoon
gathering where we’ll share the songs, stories, poetry and surprises
that emerge along the way.
If this sounds like your kind of thing, you've come to the right place!
Scroll down to read more about our workshops and how you can get involved.
We look forward to seeing you!
FINAL WORKSHOP DATES FOR 2026 - Ullapool - Don't miss it!
SEPT 25TH-27TH PUPPET-MAKING WORKSHOP - THE CEILIDH PLACE VENUE, ULLAPOOL
CREATIVE WRITING WITH LG THOMSON - AN TALLA SOLAIS, ULLAPOOL
SEA SHANTIES SINGING WORKSHOPS - MACPHAIL CENTRE/CEILIDH PLACE - ULLAPOOL
See individual ads for details. (Above)
OUR MISSION
CREATE INSPIRE PROJECTS CIC
Create Inspire Projects CIC brings high‑quality, imaginative arts experiences directly to rural Highland communities, making creativity accessible to everyone. Based in Ullapool, we work with musicians, theatre‑makers, writers and artists to create welcoming spaces where people can sing, make, play and reconnect. Our Travelling Imaginarium project takes this even further — a pop‑up world of music, theatre, writing and puppetry designed to spark joy, build confidence and strengthen the bonds that hold communities together.
We believe creativity belongs to everyone. That’s why our workshops and performances are free to attend. Together, we create supportive, flexible sessions where participants can try something new, share stories and ideas and ultimately feel part of something bigger - helping restore connection, confidence and a renewed sense of belonging.
Meet the team...
SOT OTTER - POP-UP CHOIR & MUSIC MAKING
Sot Otter is an award‑winning songwriter, composer and multi‑instrumentalist who performs regularly at music events and festivals. She has a wealth of experience as a choir director, leading singing workshops and community choirs, specialising in harmony singing and contemporary songs. In 2009 Sot founded Create Youth Theatre, a Saturday theatre‑arts school based in Ullapool. In 2020, she went on to form Create Inspire Projects CIC - a grassroots community‑interest company dedicated to bringing theatre‑arts experiences to communities across the Highlands, with a focus on those facing financial or geographical barriers to accessing the performing arts.
The Travelling Imaginarium Pop-Up Choir Workshops
“No auditions. No experience is needed. Just a willingness to have fun!”
Sot Otter’s pop‑up choir sessions are simply about the joy of singing together. No pressure, just the shared thrill of simple harmony in a room of friendly faces. With over 25 years of experience playing, performing and directing community choirs, Sot has a gift for making everyone feel welcome, whether you’ve sung for decades or only ever hummed in the kitchen.
In these group choir sessions, we will work on songs that are easy to learn and gorgeous to sing. By the end of these sessions, the group will have shaped a song or two (or three!) to share at a future community gathering.
Music Making Workshops with Sot Otter
Sot Otter brings her award‑winning musicianship and decades of experience to a workshop designed for anyone who sings or plays - whether that’s at home, at open mics, or on local stages. It’s a welcoming, practical space to explore your musical identity and build confidence in how you perform.
Participants are invited to bring a song they love - an original, a cover. Sot works insightfully with each person or group, helping them refine vocal technique, develop their musical style, and discover what makes their performance feel authentic and alive. There’s no pressure and no expectation of perfection; just supportive guidance and the chance to stretch your creative muscles.
GREG DOBSON - BLACK DOG PUPPET COMPANY
Greg Dobson is an experienced teacher and practising artist, living and working in the area of Lochalsh.
Black Dog Puppet Company was formed in 2014 as part of Belladrum Festival. Their workshops focus on inclusivity, working with neurodiverse adults and children through to mainstream high school pupils. Their team is multi-generational and is often involved in voluntary community projects, as well as running workshops from their base in Kyle.
Puppet-Making Workshops
Greg Dobson, founder of Kyle-based Black Dog Puppet Company, has joined the Travelling Imaginarium project to run a series of exciting 3-day workshops.
The Black Dog Puppet Company are well-known for their large-build puppets at Belladrum Festival.
Drop in for a day or join us for all three! Get together with your community and see what you can create!
Greg’s workshop is designed to be adaptable for different abilities, but the heart of it is always the same: supporting participants to express themselves, explore identity, and build confidence through creativity.
Contin's Puppet-Making Workshop will focus on individual puppets (fish!) and is suitable for ages 12+
Ullapool's Puppet-Making Workshop will be a 3-day community build event suitable for all ages (Under 12s to be accompanied by an adult). See individual posters to find out more, or just get in touch!
ALL OUR WORKSHOPS ARE TOTALLY FREE TO ATTEND!
BUT NUMBERS ARE LIMITED, SO SCROLL DOWN TO SIGN UP TODAY!
Get in touch to find out more and book your place!
LG THOMSON - CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS
LG Thomson is an award-winning author and visual artist from Ullapool. Her awards include winning the Grolsch/Company Magazine Question of Style Creative Writing Award and being shortlisted for the Dundee Book Prize. Her work has appeared in a wide range of anthologies and literary publications, and she is the author of seven novels and two memoirs. Modernist Dreams Brutalist Nightmares and Bitter Fruit are frank and brutally funny accounts of growing up in Scotland in the 1970s and 1980s. Her novels include Boyle's Law, a neo-noir thriller set in the Highlands.
LG Thomson Creative Writing Workshops 16+
Lorraine has extensive experience in facilitating creative writing workshops. She specialises in helping participants to experiment with words, explore creative ideas, and find new and often unexpected ways into writing. Using a series of prompts tailored to the group, she will provide you with a toolbox of useful techniques designed to build your confidence and help you to discover your inner writer. Her workshops are relaxed and inspiring, with the emphasis very much on enjoying the process. Basic writing materials will be provided. Alternatively, if you prefer to write on a tablet, phone, etc., please bring it with you, likewise with favourite pens or notebooks. Otherwise, just bring yourself and a desire to participate, discover, and create. No experience necessary!
Lorraine’s workshops are for 16+
