SongWriters Uncovered Series C.I.C.

SongWriters Uncovered Series (SUS) is a Community Interest Company (CIC) based in Inverclyde which has the aim of providing cultural and business benefits to towns and rural communities including better access for local concert goers to quality singer songwriter cultural events, local paid employment for local singer songwriters, equal opportunities for singer songwriters across age, race and gender, and more business for local venues.

SUS was founded by Shelagh McKay Jones informally in June 2016 and after three successful years of concert series in the Beacon Arts Centre and other venues around Inverclyde (2017-2019) Shelagh decided to approach other songwriters to form a CIC.

During 2020’s lockdown Pauline Vallance and Helen Lyons formed the board of directors with Shelagh culminating in the organisation being registered as a CIC in February 2021. 

Shelagh has worked as a self-employed singer songwriter since 2004 and Pauline Vallance since 2015, whilst Helen Lyons is a novice to songwriting but an avid fan, an ambassador for the Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock, and a retired accountant of 30 years’ experience. In addition, Pauline Vallance has been a member of various orchestras for the last 50 years. All three are passionate about SongWriters Uncovered Series C.I.C.

In the three years prior to the pandemic lockdown we had returning audiences at the various venues and a lot of outside interest from around Scotland, the UK, and other parts of the world such as Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and the US. During lockdown, our artists continued to entertain our audiences with free livestreams which has allowed our market to grow even bigger.

Our key objectives are to offer local audiences a quality service that is accessible to them, and to build a successful business that will ensure the singer songwriter profession as a valid occupation in towns and rural communities, nurturing local songwriters and helping them achieve financial security in the future regardless of age, race or gender.