The conference is on Saturday 10th March 2012 at Elgin Museum. For more information go to www.elginmuseum.org.uk

We are now proud to feature the latest exciting development – a podcast of the walk, available to download for free. The group were keen to make the walk as accessible to as many people as possible, so decided a podcast would be the next step. The podcast was written and recorded by the walk group and other local community members with the help of funding awarded from the Galloway Association.

Kriss Nichol from Wigtown women’s walk group has written a blog post about the experience.

Wigtown walk group members and local residents at the walk's launch in March 2010

Download: Wigtown Women’s Heritage Walk Podcast

Download: Wigtown Women’s Walk Leaflet (PDF)

Inverness GWL/Women at Work conference oral history workshop

My great grandmother the runaway bride

Dundee Bring and Tell oral history session

Sheila Campbell talks about her mother working in the Jute Mills and other memories

Oral history workshop at Women's Work in the Highlands

In December 2009, we held a conference in partnership with WEA women@work, Women’s Work in the Highlands. Women from all over the Highlands gathered for a wonderful day which included introductory oral history workshops. This recording and the transcription below is an example of some of the fascinating stories and memories that were recorded.

Runaway Bride

P2: [...] And upholding the name of the family. My great grandmother, that’s my mothers grandmother, was a fascinating women. She was a Rowntree, she was part of the original Rowntree family in Yorkshire. But she did the unforgivable, and she ran off with the Irish groom.

P1: Oh no.

P2: And married him. And had 14 children. And she was totally excommunicated by the Rowntree family. As far as I know, anyway. And it wasn’t talked about. My mother mentioned it to me, but as a child I used to want to more because I liked Rowntree chocolate. That’s probably why I inherited this state. And she just wouldn’t. No, no, no. And nobody would speak to her about it either. Her mother never mentioned it her grandmother never mentioned it. And the Irish groom, I mean I have got photographs of them both, but I would loved to have met him. But he drank. So my great grandmother had a business head on her, and she had number of different businesses. One was a jointing car business. Taxi cab service. And as fast as she made the money, he drank it. And then in his mid 40s, apparently, when he was in the pub, or the bar, with the men, the Salvation Army came in and he didn’t touch a drop after that. He just never ever drank after that. And it’s absolutely amazing. And I see these two photos and I think, I wish I could have met you. But my mother could tell me nothing about them. Apart from the stories that she had of her childhood with him. Because he was an old reprobate – I’d loved to have met him. But I mean, it’s just not talked about. And I remember as a child asking my great aunts – my spinster great aunts – in Ireland about great grandma, it was ‘Sshhhh. Don’t talk about that.’ That was me well and truly told off. I think all of our, all our families have secrets they do not talk about. You know.

Transcription of Sheila and other participants at Dundee Herstory workshop

Sheila with a picture of her mother in the Dundee jute mills

M: How long did you mum work in the jute mills for?

P2: Not long. She had to leave because of the noise. She hated the noise and because she hated the dust. And then she wouldn’t do any work when we were there. Well, so she tells me. She was a full-time mum and when the war came. She went into munitions. A lot of women went to work in munitions. And she hated that as well because of the noise. And as you were saying, she was a devoted mum, we are all devoted mums. But I remember my granny, my adopted granny said to my mum. My mums name is Christina, which is a nice name. But she was actually called Tin, which is not very nice. And my adopted granny said to my mum, my mum always looked nice, did as much as she could do. But my granny said, ‘I thought you were buying yourself a new coat Tin’, and she said, ‘I’d rather put it on the bairns’. You know because the money was short. It was war time. And then we used to have the Anderson Shelter, do you remember them? You won’t remember them, nobody here will remember them. Under the ground. And I was only a wee girl then, I remember I had a wee pink suit, I must have been only 3 or 4. And I had my wee suit at night and my mum and dad would go down to the shelter. And my dad would carry me on the, you know, the lights, I can’t remember what you call them. Search lights. If they put them on, my dad would always carry me on his shoulders. Another thing I just remembered about the jute mills. At lunch time there was a bummer, you know a bummer, Clarkson sort of style. *Bssssshhhhd*. And then it was time to go for your lunch.

M: So they did half a day at school and half a day at the jute mills?

P2: Half a day at school and half a day at the jute mills.

M: So how many hours would they work there? 4 to 5 hours?

P2: Yeah, 4 to 5 hours, I suppose so.

P3: And did they get the worst jobs or?

P2: Well my mum would, she was a spinner. I don’t know if you saw that, did you see that picture? That’s the spinning. That’s my mum there. And there were spinners and weavers. The weavers were more like a trade. And the spinners, this is what they did. And they worked, sort of, we would call it bonus.

N: Well it must have been quite dangerous.

P2: Yeah, dangerous. The machines were all going, you know, and you had to pull things down – what I’ve seen on the films.

M: The noise must have been unbelievable with all the machines going.

P2: And then on a Saturday when you went into town it must have been such a laugh. Because going down the Wellgate which is nothing like the Wellgate is now. All the streets were there. And the women with their hair and all the colours, they always said the jute was hanging, you could smell the jute out of their hair. And they used roller thinners or curlers or whatever. For Saturday night.

P3: Did they get paid? Did the children get paid, is that why they did it?

P2: Very little. That was in the 1930s, when was the depression. 1929 I think.

This group promotes healthy living and the chance to explore your own area as never before with your very own Personal History Tour. As individual as you are! A great opportunity for you to reflect and also to encourage physical activity.

We all want to feel better in our lives and improve both our physical and mental wellbeing.

When I was growing up, they used to say this abandoned building was haunted! I would be so scared when walking by it…

Here you will tell us your story through your eyes. This is your area, your home. As well as your memories, we want your own account of what life has been like for you in Pollokshields and Govanhill.

Some of the best times during my childhood was with my cousins and friends in Maxwell Park…

There will be a series of 10 walks where not only will you share your experiences but we will also capture and record the places that mean something to you. Interested?

For more information or to take part, please contact Tabassum at the Pollokshields Health Shop on 0141 420 3415

This project is Supported by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Would you like to find out more about women in the Blitz; the suffragettes in Clydebank; the Singer factory strikers; and women who worked in the shipyards?
Or maybe there is a local woman from Clydebank’s past you would like to know more about? Maybe you have a story of a local woman you would like to tell?

Come along and find out about the Clydebank women’s history group. At this taster you can meet some of the group, find out about how you can learn the skills to become a women’s history detective.
See some fascinating photos and objects from our archive and listen to the voices and stories of some great Scottish women, past and present.
Free of charge. Booking essential.
To book a place or for more information phone: 0141 248 9969 or Email info@womenslibrary.org.uk

You Play Your Part was produced by film-maker Kirsten MacLeod, who worked in collaboration with women from Govan as they reflected on their lives by the river Clyde. This film was made in association with Plantation Productions and the University of the West of Scotland.

The plan is to watch the film, which runs just under half an hour, and then have a discussion with some of the Govan women who helped to research the history and produce the film. It will be a great chance to share experiences with local women, and to find out more about other women’s history projects and what it is possible to achieve.

This is a closed event, but if you are interested in organising a viewing of the film, please get in touch with Morag by phone: 0141 248 9969; or email: morag.smith@womenslibrary.org.uk.

Some of the group visiting the library

Although they have now stopped for a summer break, the group will be getting together to join the WEA Clydebank group for a showing of the film You Play Your Part at The Hub community centre in Clydebank on 25th May. You Play Your Part was produced by film-maker Kirsten MacLeod, who worked in collaboration with women from Govan as they reflected on their lives by the river Clyde.

Launching our zines and satellite collections in Dumfries, with Anne Rinaldi from Dumfries and Galloway libraries

During March I delivered a collection to Inverness Women’s Aid and to the Ewart library in Dumfries. We have also gathered a collection of graphic novels and zines by women writers and illustrators. This collection is going to be travelling around libraries in Dumfries and Galloway over the next few months before returning to GWL. It includes work by Claire Bretecher, Posy Simmonds, Marjane Satrapi and many more. It’s great to see the collection out and about all over Scotland. We’re looking forward to installing more satellite collections in new locations and bringing the library to more women in Scotland.