Home-grown in the Highlands, Belladrum Festival continues to stay true to its community roots. In the run up to it’s 21st anniversary event, which took place 31st July-2nd August, the festival team donated free market stall spaces, online visibility opportunities and festival tickets to help raise vital funds for local charities and community groups.
As a result, Belladrum are delighted to announce that upwards of £100,000 was raised this year through ticket donations and festival support, including free space for charities on-site at the festival, to raise awareness and receive donations from attendees across the weekend.
Each year, the festival selects an official charity partner. For 2025, Belladrum partnered with Highland Action for Little Ones (Halo). Founded in January 2023 by Mel Thomson and her daughters Ashley and Lauren, Halo supports Highland communities affected by the cost-of- living crisis and children living in poverty.
“We were absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity and platform provided to us by Belladrum. As a small, volunteer-led charity with no statutory funding, opportunities like this make a world of difference. The awareness we raised, and the conversations we had with festivalgoers across the weekend, were incredibly powerful.
Every donation, every connection, helps us support more children and families facing hardship across the Highlands. We’re so proud to have been Belladrum’s chosen charity partner this year, it’s an experience we’ll never forget.”
— Mel Thomson, Co-Founder, Highland Action for Little Ones (Halo)
Other local groups benefited from Belladrum’s support including Kiltarlity Village Hall, who raised an incredible £7,800 through the running of their onsite Tea Tent – serving up their famous home-made cream teas, while grassroots mental health charity Mikeysline received £6,500 in monetary donations while onsite, and through raffling Belladrum Festival tickets.
“We’re beyond grateful to Belladrum for their continued support of our grassroots charity Mikeysline. By working together, we’re not only bringing awareness of mental health and suicide prevention to a wide and diverse audience, but by the vital funds raised we’re also making a difference in our local communities throughout the North of Scotland.”
– Allana Stables, Bee The Change Manager, Mikeysline
The Highland Hospice were once again also supported via the donation of Belladrum tickets, free onsite stall space and sponsorship of one of the hearts in this years ‘Highland HeArt Trail’ and gained over £55,000 via Belladrum Festival support. Belladrum Festival also donated tickets to various charities, schools and individuals, allowing them to generate essential funds for their initiatives through raffles and other fundraising activities including SNAP, Drummond School, Hilton Shinty Club and many more.
Visitors to Belladrum’s 2025 ‘Charity Alley’ area also had the chance to meet an inspiring variety of organisations, including Lovat Shinty Club, Lucky2BeHere, and James Support Group, all contributing further to the festival’s community spirit. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible Bella audience for engaging with and donating to our wonderful charities. Community lies at the very heart of Belladrum, and it’s our absolute privilege to support the fundraising efforts and raise awareness for so many charitable organisations, causes that mean so much to both our audience and the entire Bella team.
– Naomi Hollas, Festival Co-ordinator, Belladrum Festival
Looking ahead, the Belladrum team have announced they are excited to very soon be in the position. to share information of the newly instated Belladrum Festival Community Trust, a charity initiative funded by proceeds from the reintroduced car parking fees.
Charities and community groups looking to join in the fun at Belladrum and who are interested in applying for a free stall are advised to keep watch for applications going live for the 2026 event in November – the festival is also currently looking for it’s official 2026 charity partner and applications can be gained by emailing hello@tartanheartfestival.co.uk by Friday 19th September – follow @Belladrum social media for updates.
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