A programme of ten workshops for Fèis Rois and Dingwall 800

Seed Stories | Sgeulachdan nan Sìol with Haley Shepherd, Seeds of Scotland

Harvest time, buain. A seed carries its own story: the climate it adapted to, the seasons it survived, the hands that selected it, and the communities that kept it going across generations. In this sense, seeds are like living archives.

Haley Shepherd from Seeds of Scotland explores the world of heritage and heirloom varieties and the practice of seed saving as an act of cultural and ecological care. The idea of seed sovereignty - the right of communities to save, share and shape their own seeds – runs through this work, raising questions about what can be grown, what is lost, and who decides. This session also offers practical guidance on seed saving – how to collect, dry, store and exchange seed - offering simple ways to begin working with seed as something to keep and pass on. We will also have a seed swap – bring your spare seeds and begin to plan for next year's growing!

Format: talk, conversation, guidance, seed swap, tea and cake.

About the programme

From late summer to midwinter, these sessions invite you to dig where you stand: to explore the cultural memory of Dingwall and its surrounding landscape. Countless generations before ours had a closer connection to nature and the changing seasons, bound up with a sense of community and conviviality across the rhythm of the agricultural year. Each week we explore a different part of that world – from stories of drovers, herring girls and radical resistance, to harvest seeds, plants and birds, to the music and song of the winter ceilidh. Part conversation, part creative workshop. Drop in for one session or follow the season as it turns. Open to all. Bring what you know!

Background

This programme was developed by ethnologist and creative practitioner Mairi McFadyen for Fèis Rois and Dingwall 800, exploring the cultural and ecological memory of the local area through conversation and creativity. Dig Where You Stand takes its name from an international public history movement that invites communities to research and reclaim local histories.

Description supplied by the event organiser.