Heritage Stories

Past Projects

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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