The Living Communities Participation Fund is a grant award that is facilitated by Culture Perth and Kinross, on behalf of the Gannochy Trust and is available to all schools in Perth and Kinross. Schools can use the grant to employ artists and creative practitioners to help them to explore their local heritage and culture. In 2019 Blairgowrie High School received a grant from the Fund to run their project Spinning the Yarn.

Workshops run in conjunction with local artists and artisans in traditional crafts, have enabled pupils to create textile-based canopy hangings for outdoor environments at their schools. The original designs have been inspired by the history and heritage of the textile industries, that were based along the River Tay and RiverTay, River Ericht in Blairgowrie, Spittalfield and the local area.

Dylan Higgins, Teacher for Support for Learning at Blairgowrie High School, said

“The project is a co-design collaboration project between BHS S1-S4 Enhanced Provision pupils and Glendelvine Primary school pupils. (P1-7). The project will support both their wider social inclusion in cultural activity and ultimately their transitions in the future.”

To date, the pupils have worked with local artist Ashleigh Slater of Breacan Caledonia to create and register original tartan designs for both schools. Students at Blairgowrie High School have worked with Ashleigh, learning about and practising traditional weaving skills, using a loom which he has left with them to continue practising – several are highly enthused by this!

The current pandemic has presented a challenge to all pupils and staff involved in the project. The original finish date for the project was November 2020, but with creative thinking, working on alternative models and different routes to achieve their outcomes, the pupils and school are confident that the project will be complete by June.

We wish them lots of luck completing their project. Keep weaving!