John and Noreen Hamilton, storytellers, have been delivering heritage projects since 1999. We have researched, developed and delivered a wide range of projects for museums, heritage organisations and schools. We are now available for projects big and small across Scotland and beyond.
About John and Noreen Hamilton
We are John and Noreen Hamilton. We are storytellers, writers, facilitators and consultants using storytelling skills to deliver a wide range of heritage, education and community projects. We have also worked extensively in the museum sector. John recently worked for an extended period as Community Outreach Officer for Causeway Museum Service.
Noreen was born in raised in Scotland in a family of Irish descent. John was born in Zambia, but grew up in Northern Ireland. We have worked widely in both Scotland and Ireland. We are currrently engaged in developing Europe wide storytelling projects.
We developed our skills in Scotland with huge support from the Scottish Storytelling Forum and our many friends there. We recently spent a few years living in Northern Ireland, but are currently in the Scottish Borders.
Curriculum Vitae
John Hamilton BSc
Employment
Heritage Stories - Director/Partner April 2001 - Present - Design and delivery of heritage projects, including; consultancy, workshop design and delivery, training programmes, oral/community history projects.
Causeway Museum Service – Community Outreach - 2010 – 2015, Deliver community outreach programmes across four council areas. Design and deliver exhibitions, learning resources, workshops, talks and tours and oral/community history projects.
Professional storyteller – 1999 – present
Scottish Borders Museum Service, project co-ordinator, Century of Childhood & In Touch with Past & Museum Assistant ,1999 - 2001
Education/qualifications
University of Stirling, BSc, Biology and English Literature, 1980
Scottish Storytelling Forum, registered storyteller - 1999
University of Edinburgh: Centre of Continuing Education Oral Storytelling Today. Awarded September 1999
Scottish Arts Council - BursaryStorytelling Mentorship Scheme, 1999
University of Edinburgh: Centre of Continuing Education Storytelling in Scotland. Awarded August 2000
Scottish Arts Council - Research Bursary,Environmental Storytelling, 2001
Positions held
Scottish Interpretation Network – chairperson, 2005 - 2007
Interpret Scotland, committee member, 2005 - 2007
Scottish Storytelling Forum – committee member, 2000 – 2007
Speygrian Education Trust – committee member, 2003 – 2007
Conference/seminar workshops
Curiosity and imagination – Bristol, 2006
Scotching the Myth – Edinburgh,
EEECOM – European National Parks – Perth,
Unlocking the Story (Story skills for heritage practitioners), Edinburgh, 2012
Heritage Practice in Contested Spaces, Limavady, 2013
Awards
Roots and Wings Award - UK-wide award for innovative children’s projects, 2005
Noreen Hamilton BA
University of Strathclyde, BA, arts and social sciences, literature, Scottish studies and performing arts, 2000
Professional storyteller, registered with Scottish Storytelling Forum, 2001 – present
Heritage Stories - Director/Partner April 2001 – Present. Design and delivery of heritage projects, including; consultancy, workshop design and delivery, training programmes, oral/community history projects.
Past Projects
Recent Projects
Scottish History: Strange but True – We wrote an entertaining romp through Scottish history taking a wry look at characters, places and events. A major hardback publication for the History Press and now offer performance of stories from the book for all audiences
Raising Strong and Resilient Communities – European wide project developing storytelling approaches for communities. Working with community groups, training sessions for professionals and community groups, contributing to learning resources, Erasmus+
Danny Boy Storytelling Festival – working with six primary schools exploring local heritage through stories and creating Brand New Local Legends, RSRC, Erasmus+
Something Special – developing storytelling programmes with young adults with learning difficulties, RSCRC, Erasmus+
HARE: the unreliable confessions of William Hare concerning his acquaintance with William Burke and Ladies of Pleasure: a guide to entertainment for gentlemen in 18th century Edinburgh – Two Heritage Theatre productions in Netherbow theatre for Edinburgh Old Town Festival, Scottish Storytelling Centre
Ye Jacobites by Name – Outdoor action workshops for Primary Schools exploring the Jacobite rebellions as part of the Stirling Jacobite Project
Examples of Activities working in Community Outreach for Causeway Museum Service
From 2010 – 2015 I worked for Causeway Museum Service running heritage programmes for communities and schools across four council areas
On the Brink 1914 – 1916 – training community groups to research individuals who fought in WWI, writing exhibition based on community research
The Project of Plantation – Organising community groups to research 17th century history in local area, visiting relevant sites with archaeologist. Writing major touring exhibition and learning resources
My Treasure – working with community groups to explore their own histories through the stories of a treasured object. Touring exhibition
Walking the Colours – exploration of parading traditions in Northern Ireland. Writing major touring exhibition and learning resources
Emblems of Ireland – writing learning resource publication, workshops for community groups and secondary schools on emblems associated with Ireland
Stitching and Unstitching the Troubles – Touring exhibition, community co-curation programme
Virtual Murals – working with teenagers being taught outside the school system to use digital imaging techniques to create new artworks
Victorian Coleraine – writing learning resource including training information on researching for community groups. Schools and community workshops and tours
Heritage Lottery Fund Projects
Action against Sectarianism - developed video resources, Action against Sectarianism, HLF
Dunluce Castle - schools storytelling drama project, “All Our Stories” HLF
Hard Work, Great Craic - Oral History collection, editing, writing publication, writing and directing short documentaries, Bann Partnership, HLF
Bute Landscape Storytelling Project – Year long project including, oral history collection, historic research, work with creative writers and storytellers leading to community festival, school digital storytelling project based on local landscape, HLF, Bute Landscape Partnership
Bridging the Borders – story and art activities for schools and community groups and administration of project for six months, Scottish Borders Council, Northumbria National parks, HLF
Carrick-a-Rede Stories – Oral History collection and editing around iconic Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, editing material, National Trust Northern Ireland, HLF
Faces of Ballycastle – Training community members to collect oral history, editing material, archiving on www.niarchive.org, Causeway Museum Service, HLF
Lamancha Project – Background research, oral history collection, children’s creative writing and artwork programme. Lamancha Community Association, HLF Awards for All
Wilsontown Project – Background research, oral history collection, children’s creative writing and artwork programme, community publication, South Lanarkshire Council, HLF Awards For All
Waste Odyssey (recycling), eco-play Greenfest and Highland Tour, HLF
Royston Storytelling Project – working for six months with inner city Glasgow children and parents leading to delivery of community festival, HLF
Scottish Natural Heritage
Dalriada Community History Project - We were engaged, as consultants, to design and plan a community history project for Mid-Argyll, Dalriada Project, Forestry Commission, Waterways Trust.
Tweed River Stories Project – oral history collection, literary research, schools programme creating artwork for collected stories. Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Borders Council.
Why Birds are Beautiful (avian bio-diversity), eco--play, Scottish Natural Heritage
Fauldhouse Project – Background research, oral history collection, SNH/Levenseat Trust/Paths for All
Copperworks - Community History project with Inner city Glasgow parents and children in Glasgow and on residentials. Glasgow City Council.
Museum & Library Projects
Coleraine 400 - primary school interactive workshop and town tour, Coleraine Museum
Broighter Gold - primary school interactive workshop, Causeway Museum Service
Victorian Coleraine – town walks and workshops for primary school and community groups Coleraine Museum
Victorian Fair, primary school interactive workshop, Causeway Museum Service
The Planter and the Gael, secondary school interactive drama workshop and for community groups, Derry City Museum Service, Donegal Museum Service
“Yes, We Have No Bananas” (WWII Home Front), primary school interactive workshop, Scottish Borders Council, Derry Museum Service, Causeway Museum Service
Niamh, the Movie, George Bloody Hutchinson – digital storytelling project with secondary school children, Ballymoney and Coleraine, Causeway Museum Service, HLF
Calm-it Club - the Movie, digital storytelling project with a referred group of boys with behavioural and social problems, Pilton Youth & Children Project, North Edinburgh Arts Centre
Sea School – summer school arts and storytelling project based around the seashore, South Ayrshire Library Board
Lindisfarne, saints and sinners, exploring with primary school children on residential courses Northumbria National Parks
Crossing Points - working with an architect and a visual artist to explore the built landscape with secondary school pupils. Cockburn Trust.
Resources and Consultancy
Europe of Tales – research, development with secondary school children for Europe wide project
Biodiversity Stories – consultancy on creation of a website of biodiversity stories for Scottish Natural Heritage, SNH, And Scottish Storytelling Centre.
Story Lab – training resources on heritage storytelling, Scottish Storytelling Forum
Baganel’s Castle – research, writing and performance of Audio Guide for Newry and Mourne Museum, Newry and Mourne Museum Service & ATS Heritage
Largs Audio Guide research and writing audio guide for walking tour of Largs in Ayrshire Largs Partnership
Heritage story performances
We have developed and delivered natural and cultural heritage interpretation through storytelling for a wide range of organisations including; National Trust for Scotland, Museums and Galleries Northern Ireland, Department of the Environment Northern Ireland, National Museums Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Historic Scotland, Southern Uplands Trust, Borders Woodland Trust, Scottish Borders Council, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Scottish Sea-bird Centre
Project management and administration
Bridging the Border - We were employed, on a consultancy basis, to complete this six year HLF funded project. This included the management of the project to final report, managing six months of programming and the creation of ‘Bridging the Past’: an interactive cd-rom covering the cultural heritage of the Tweed Valley and a Rural Careers Information Pack. Bridging the Border, Tweed Forum, Northumbria National Park
Borders Storytelling Festival - In 2001 I was engaged to design, develop and a deliver a major storytelling festival with Arts Council funding. Twenty three events were delivered in ten days. We continued to run the festival annually with funding from Scottish Borders Council until 2005. Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Borders Council
Final Fling - We were engaged by Scottish Borders Council to develop and manage a region wide children’s event programme in 2001 and 2002. Scottish Borders Council.
Borders Guid Crack Club – We ran a storytelling club in the Scottish Borders with monthly meetings through each winter at venues throughout the Borders featuring many leading professional storytellers from Scotland and beyond. We sourced funding from the Scottish Storytelling Centre and Scottish Borders Council.
Staff and Volunteer Training Programmes
We have provided training courses from one day to ten weeks for organizations including; Scottish Storytelling Centre, National Museums of Scotland – Museum of Flight, National Museums of Scotland – Museum of Flight Museum of Country Life, Scottish Museum Council, Historic Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, New Lanark Heritage Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage, Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Edinburgh Green Belt Trust, Grounds for Learning, Belfast Voluntary Services, Causeway Museum Service, Mid-Antrim Museums Service, Ulster Scots Agency - Ranger Services, Aberdeen, Newcastle, Stirling; Teacher Training, Ayrshire Council, Stirling Council, Speygrian Trust
Positions held
Scottish Interpretation Network – chairperson, 2005 - 2007
Interpret Scotland, committee member, 2005 - 2007
Scottish Storytelling Forum – committee member, 2000 – 2007
Speygrian Education Trust – committee member, 2003 – 2007
Conference/seminar workshops –
Curiosity and imagination – Bristol, 2006
Scotching the Myth – Edinburgh,
EEECOM – European National Parks – Perth,
Unlocking the Story (Story skills for heritage practitioners), Edinburgh, 2012
Heritage Practice in Contested Spaces, Limavady, 2013