Next year Scotland hosts its first-ever Homecoming year, created and timed to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of national bard, Robert Burns in Alloway, Ayrshire on January 25, 1759.

And the signs are that St Andrews will be a major player on what is sure to be a stage watched by the world.

In St Andrews to announce an important development in Women's Golf in Scotland (see page 40), First Minister Alex Salmond also confirmed that St Andrews' Stanza Poetry Festival in April and the St Andrews Week Festival in November would be two of only 100 events sponsored by the Government.

Homecoming Scotland ends around St Andrew's Day and is being billed as a major celebration of Scottish Music across the country.

The St Andrews Festival, which runs from November 23 until the 30th, will premiere a spectacular 'son et lumiere' show depicting Scotland's historic journey and projected onto the town's mediaeval walls.

However while StAnza, officially named as Scotland's only established poetry festival, won sponsorship of £22,438 towards its efforts next year, the St Andrews Festival Week lost out on cash but has been promised help in kind with promoting itself.

This week, festival organiser, Rob Murray Brown said he was hopeful that further Government funding, specifically for St Andrews Day celebrations might be available.

"Our events are pretty special, or could be, in St Andrews and our MSPs have been very helpful. We are a small snowball, just picking up speed. It takes time."

EventScotland, Scotland's national events agency wants to raise the country's international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors.

It is also working to broaden interest in the game of golf and on Monday, Mr Salmond announced a £600,000 investment by the agency to secure a 10-year deal, between EventScotland, the St Andrews-based Ladies Golf Union, which organises the Ricoh Women's British Open and premier sports media company, IMG.

That means Scotland will host the Women's British Open five times between 2011 and 2020.

Last year's event, in St Andrews for the first time and in Scotland for only its second visit, brought £7.5 million to the Scottish economy.

The First Minister said golfing tourism is worth £300 million a year to Scotland.

Brian Johnstone, StAnza's festival director told the Citizen the event had been one of only 58 chosen for sponsorship out of around 200 applications for funding.

"We feel very proud to be representing Scotland in this way and to take part in such a high profile programme of events," he said.

"It is particularly good from our point of view that we are the only poetry event, which further stamps our claim that St Andrews is the poetry capital of Scotland and a key part of the cultural programme in the country.

"Next year will be our 12th festival and it has been growing every year. We have 7000 people attending all the different events with roughly a quarter of those from the St Andrews area, a quarter from the rest of Scotland, slightly under a quarter from England, Wales and Ireland and the rest from overseas."