Introducing the Bellambassador Programme: Shaping the Future of Belladrum
At Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, we have always strived to create a vibrant, inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone who joins our yearly celebration of music, arts and community spirit. Our ethos is deeply rooted in community, and in the spirit of continuous improvement, we launched the Bellambassador programme for the first time this year. This exciting new initiative gives passionate festival-goers the chance to help shape the future of Belladrum, ensuring it continues to be an event loved by all.
In September, we opened applications for the Bellambassador programme, inviting those who feel connected and passionate about Belladrum to apply and become representatives of the festival’s future. We were overwhelmed by the response—over 200 heartfelt applications from people who love Bella as much as we do! It was incredibly hard to choose, but after much consideration, we are thrilled to introduce 4 groups of ambassadors who we believe will advocate and support the festival across a wide range of areas.
We recently had our very first Zoom meeting with a spokesperson for each group, to welcome these ambassadors into the Bella family. It was very exciting as Naomi, Dougie, and Cairan from Team Bella met with four of our new ambassadors: Hannah, Rod, Denise, and Darren.
Here's a little more about them and why we’re so excited to work together.
Meet Hannah Fraser
Hannah and her family are multiple neurodivergent, and her passion for making Belladrum more inclusive for all neurodivergent attendees is what led her to apply. She has been a regular festival-goer for years, with her mother attending all but one Belladrum to date!
Hannah has also been a dedicated volunteer with the National Autistic Society, working to improve accessibility and accommodations for neurodivergent individuals. She was particularly impressed by the improvements made at Bella in 2024, and she is eager to help us continue this important work.
Hannah shares: “I would like to be a Belladrum ambassador so that I can ensure that the festival is as inclusive as possible for neurodivergent attendees, both regular revellers and new faces. All of the work I do is neurodivergent-affirming, and focused on the social model of disability. Our environment (people, places and things) heavily determines our outcomes. I would like to promote a fully neurodivergent-affirming model to Belladrum planning so that the environment is suitable for everyone who wishes to attend.”
At Belladrum, we are working towards our Bronze award for Attitude is Everything - an organisation that advocates and works towards improving access to music for those with disabilities. We are very much looking forward to Hannah’s insights and ideas as we work towards making Bella more accessible and enjoyable for all attendees.
Meet Rod Scott
At 67 years old, Rod is a testament to the fact that Belladrum is a festival for all ages. Rod first attended Belladrum in 2023 with a group of friends but enjoyed himself so much in 2024 that he decided to attend solo—and immediately bought his ticket for 2025 after the festival ended! A big live music fan who attends gigs regularly, Rod appreciates the mix of bands he recalls from his youth as well as the opportunity to discover new sounds.
Rod says: "I’d welcome the opportunity to represent the older (young at heart) and solo festival-goers as a Bellambassador. As I live in Fife, I can also represent those travelling from the central belt."
We are excited to work with Rod and improve the experience for solo travellers and those making the journey from further afield.
Jenna Ross, Rob Fisher, Denise Campbell and Cheryl Duff.
Jenna Ross, Rob Fisher, Denise Campbell and Cheryl Duff.
Meet Denise
Denise was a regular at T in the Park from the age of 17, but after the birth of her daughter, her festival days came to a temporary halt. That is until she spotted that one of her favourite bands, Magic Numbers, was playing at Belladrum. With her daughter now aged 2, Denise decided to camp at Bella and found it to be an incredibly family-friendly experience. She has been attending ever since and is passionate about how the festival brings her family together.
Denise says: "I really really appreciate family time, spending time with my kids, having fun, meeting up with friends. It's so important, especially now with teenagers, who don't speak much, but come to life for Bella. Bella gives us a common interest, with great excitement every year on the months leading up."
With Denise’s experience, we are looking forward to her ideas on enhancing the family and teenage aspects of the festival.
Darren & Kate with their children at Belladrum (baby Callan not pictured)
Meet Darren Redmond
You might recognise Darren and his wife, Kate—famously known for welcoming their newborn during the 2024 festival weekend! Feeling so comfortable with Bella’s family-friendly atmosphere, they returned to the festival grounds with their baby the very next day.
How could we not look to include them somehow in the next years planning? With young children and a baby in tow, we look forward to working with them on plans and improvements to the children and family entertainment and facilities.
A Huge Thank You to Our Applicants
We want to take this moment to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who applied to be a part of the 2024-2025 Bellambassador programme. We were truly humbled by the number of applications and the passion that each of you showed for Belladrum. Selecting the final groups was no easy task, but we feel that the people we’ve chosen represent a fantastic cross-section of festival-goers and we’re excited to see how their ideas shape future editions of Bella.
For those who weren’t selected this time around, don’t worry—there will be more opportunities to get involved! We hope to continue the Bellambassador programme next year, and anyone who attends the 2025 festival will be eligible to apply. So, if you’re passionate about making Belladrum the best it can be, keep an eye out for more information soon.
At Belladrum, community is at the heart of everything we do. The Bellambassador programme is an exciting way for us to bring our loyal festival family closer to the planning process, ensuring that we continue to improve the experience for all. We’re looking forward to what lies ahead with this wonderful group of ambassadors! Keep an eye on our socials and newsletter for further updates.