Fears beer takeover will see donations from brewery dry up

SPONSORSHIP worth £150,000 a year for events in Edinburgh could be thrown into doubt by the proposed takeover of city brewers Scottish & Newcastle.

The company – Britain's biggest brewing group – gives major financial support to the Edinburgh International Festival, the Royal Museum and the Royal Botanic Garden as well as smaller community projects.

But the planned £7.8 billion purchase by European rivals Heineken and Carlsberg has prompted concerns about the future of such sponsorship.

Edinburgh Central Labour MSP Sarah Boyack has written to the chief executive of Heineken, which will take over the UK side of the business, seeking assurances the firm's cultural involvement in the Capital will continue.

At First Minister's Questions in the Scottish Parliament, Ms Boyack welcomed Alex Salmond's promise to do all he could to safeguard the 1000 S&N jobs in Edinburgh. But she told the Evening News:

"There is also this other issue. S&N has for decades played a very significant role in supporting culture and a whole range of charities and community organisations.

"I am very keen any future owners of S&N should understand and continue that social responsibility and commitment to Edinburgh."

S&N has sponsored events at the Edinburgh International Festival every year since it began in 1947. For many years the company has focused its sponsorship on the opening concert and a new £80,000-a-year deal has been signed for 2008-2010.

The company has also supported a number of exhibitions over recent years, including the Rebus exhibition at the National Library, the UNESCO City of Literature project and the last Tsar exhibition at the Royal Museum of Scotland.

It says it has entered into a deal to sponsor the Royal Museum over the next three years at a total cost of £100,000.

It also donated to the National Library of Scotland's acquisition of the John Murray Archive.

And the company is sponsoring the Royal Botanic Garden's Gateway Project – to create a biodiversity interpretation centre – to the tune of £125,000 over five years.

S&N also supports smaller initiatives like the Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust, which receives £10,000 a year. And it makes small donations to lots of local and regional charities ranging from £50-£700.

Sandy Richardson, head of development at National Museums Scotland, said: "We are appreciative of their support and their absence would be a great loss to the sponsorship of culture and the arts in Scotland."

And a Festival spokesman said: "We regard them as very valued sponsors and have a very warm relationship with them, which we would hope to continue."

A spokesman for S&N said: "We are encouraged that Heineken clearly sees Scottish & Newcastle as a dynamic company and we hope they will want to continue as backers for major events."