Into Eden

On Thursday, I was at the newly-refurbished Eden Court Theatre in Inverness to see Blazin' Fiddles. This was my first visit to the theatre since it reopened a few weeks ago after being closed for more than two years for a refit which in the end cost £22m. This has been somewhat controversial locally and even cost the chairman of Highland Council's ecucation, culture and sport committee his job earlier this year after he called it "a bit of a waste of money".

However, just like the Scottish Parliament, if you go to the theatre, you can see just where the money has been spent. The box office is now a bright and welcoming area, extra bars and restaurants have been added, a smaller second auditoriun introduced, new lifts installed (there weren't any in the previous theatre) and new facilities added. The project has also involved the refurbishment of the former Bishop's Palace, which forms part of the complex and was in very poor condition. Overall, the investment has given Inverness a top-class arts and entertainment facility of which the area can be very proud.

The Blazin' Fiddles concert itself was very good, and if you're a fan of traditional Scottish music, I can certainly recommend seeing them.