People from all walks of life share Cairngorms stories

PEOPLE'S inspirational tales which "get to the heart" of life in the Cairngorms National Park have been collected in a book following a year-long project.

Shared Stories – A Year in the Cairngorms, launched last week, explores how people and nature thrive together. The book has been compiled by the national park’s first ever writer in residence, Merryn Glover, and project manager Anna Fleming, whose own observations are included in the book along with writings from residents young and old as well as established writers.

Writing workshops were held all over the area throughout this year, including at the Cairngorms Nature Big Weekend, Forest Fest and the Rural Skills Day, as well as in local schools, and there were workshops for rangers and land workers.

Merryn said: "We set out to encourage people to write creatively about how we and nature thrive together and my role was to facilitate this work through a varied programme of activities taking me all over the park. For me it has been a year of gifts – I have learnt so much from my experience doing this and I am very proud to see the launch of Shared Stories: A Year in the Cairngorms.

"The book captures the range of voices – it spans young children to a woman in her 80s; academics to farmers; locals to visitors. There are works commissioned from four professional authors and anonymous pieces found among papers at the end of drop-in workshops; there are poems and prose pieces; serious reflections and comic encounters; enduring memories and luminous visions. We hope people enjoy it for years to come."

Grant Moir, chief executive of the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), who also has a piece of work in the book, said: "I thought a writer-in-residence would be a great idea but the day I saw 20 kids sitting at Loch Morlich as part of the Rural Skills Day all silently writing Cairngorms lyrics was when I knew this project was something special.

"The stories written throughout the year really get to the heart of the Cairngorms."

Alan Smith, outdoor learning officer at the CNPA, said: "This project came about because we all know that the wellbeing of the natural environment and the people of the park are inter-dependent. Through this project we have been able to delve deeper into that relationship through creative writing and story-telling activities, with participants creating pieces of writing that inspire and give insights into our relationship with the landscape and wildlife. And now that we have the published anthology we can relay those outdoor experiences to a much wider audience for them to enjoy."

The book was organised and part-funded by the CNPA with a funding award of £8,000 from Creative Scotland and £10,000 from the Woodland Trust. Copies are available locally for a donation to The Cairngorms Trust. For more information visit www.cairngorms.co.uk.

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