Arts diary: Why I want to meet my festival space hero and a Christmas funding gift from Scotland's arts body

Helen Sharman returning from Mir in 1991. | Edinburgh Science Festival

It has been a good news week for 13 arts organisations which joined the merry band of those granted multi-year funding from Creative Scotland in a welcome Christmas gift.

When multi-year funding awards were announced in January, a total of 251 organisations out of 279 which had applied for long term funding were granted their request, in a package worth at least £208m over the next three years. Much joy ensued.

At the time, another 13 organisations were brought into a £3.2 million “development stream” receiving funding and targeted support, with a view of joining the multi-year funding portfolio once areas for development had been addressed. Now, the issues have presumably been addressed and the organisations, which include Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre, the Hidden Door festival, the Scottish Poetry Library and Reeltime Music, have been reviewed and approved to join the multi-year funding cohort from April.

Long term funding has been transformational for those organisations which were granted it in the original round, allowing them to plan ahead and invest in more ambitious and extensive programming. Hopefully this second tranche will do the same.

Space pioneer

They say don't meet your heroes, but this is one hero I do wish I could meet - and I don't think I would be disappointed. I can't wait until the Edinburgh Science Festival in April where Helen Sharman is due to speak. Britain's first astronaut, who jetted into space after replying to a radio advert while working on the flavouring properties of chocolate as a chemist for Mars, she is a legend.

I remember watching John Craven's Newsround's report on her arrival back to Earth after her 1991 trip to the Mir space station and being astounded by the fact she was still smiling broadly, with no sense of the trepidation she undoubtedly must have felt on such a pioneering mission. Tickets are available later this week, I'd grab one as soon as you can.

It's panto time

I can't write a column this week without mentioning that it's panto season. ("Oh no it isn't, oh yes it is", etc etc). An excellent-sounding exhibition has opened in Glasgow to get you in the mood, which will showcase home movie footage of 1930s pantos, as well as historic playbills, programmes and photographs in a display about the history of the iconic festive theatre show.

I love a good panto. I can't claim to compete with my venerable colleague, theatre critic Joyce McMillan, who will be reviewing too many festive shows to count over the coming weeks. But I have already been to two - both amateur productions involving someone I know (and fantastic they both were) - I even took some Italian friends to one of them to experience their first ever pantomime, which was a treat in itself.

Now, I'm looking forward to the Jack and the Beanstalk press night at Edinburgh's Festival Theatre next week. It's officially Christmas.