New project seeks to bring together historic north east stories
£100,000 project with Aberdeen University Elphistone Institute and Visit Scotland aims to attract more tourists.
A new project is seeking to bring together heritage, culture and stories from the North east to compile into various forms of media.
Visit Scotland and the University of Aberdeen’s Elphinstone Institute have teamed up for an initiative to collect and collate folklore which will then be used to create films, podcasts or other media, opening up the stories which have long been known in local communities to the wider world.
Research by Visit Scotland has shown that ‘Culture and Heritage’ is one of the main draws for people visiting Scotland with 33% of those interviewed for the most recent Visit Scotland Visitor Survey citing it as the main reason for their stay.
The stories of the region will be collected through the creation of a number of oral history hubs across Aberdeenshire which will not only support this project but will train local volunteers to collect and compile their history so that it can be preserved for future generations.
Dr Fiona-Jane Brown will lead the project, she said:
"The people of Aberdeenshire have a very distinctive character, illustrated in their speech, the Doric dialect, their hard work on land and at sea over many centuries, and in their folklore, the stories, songs, traditions and beliefs. The latter is often overlooked by historians and inaccessible to visitors."
“This project will help illuminate some of the most fascinating oral history, folklore, and social heritage which can be found in Scotland"