The Scottish Community Heritage Alliance’s Grassroots Heritage in Scotland Roadshow is coming to Kirkwall for its grand finale.

Over the course of the last year, the roadshow has travelled the length and breadth of Scotland, engaging with grassroots community heritage groups to identify the issues affecting them and the help they need to secure their future.

The roadshow features talks, displays and a discussion session on topics chosen by local heritage groups. Heritage groups are also encouraged to take a stall to display their work and provide a point of contact for meeting people.

Anyone who works in or has an interest in heritage is welcome to attend. The day is entirely free, lunch will be provided and there are even travel bursaries available to help you get there. For those who can’t travel, online attendance is available, so you don’t have to miss out on the talks and discussion.

The three fascinating speakers for the Northern Isles Roadshow are: Pat Christie, Shetland Heritage Association, Karen Tweed folk musician, and Dan Lee of UHI Orkney.

Pat Christie will take the attendees through the findings from the Shetland Heritage Association’s extensive community heritage project spanning the Shetland Isles, providing valuable insights into the work and the issues affecting grassroots groups in this region.

Orkney-based traditional Scottish musician Karen Tweed will be showcasing the huge amount of work she has done in music and art, and how folk music relates to communities. Furthermore, the day after the Roadshow, Karen’s home is part of Doors Open Days.

Dan Lee is a contemporary archaeologist and researcher at UHI Orkney, where he develops, manages and delivers a range of community archaeology, knowledge exchange and research projects. In his talk ‘Community Archaeology in Orkney’ Dan will give a background to community archaeology, highlight a range of recent community archaeology and heritage projects in Orkney and showcase the recent Tombs of the Isles project.

This event is part of the Grassroots Heritage in Scotland project, funded by Historic Environment Scotland and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Further information about SCHA and the Grassroots Heritage in Scotland can be found on the website at www.scottishcommunityheritagealliance.org.

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