1000 Better Stories

An urban journey to community ownership - Greener Kirkcaldy at Fergus place

2024 marked the five-year anniversary of Greener Kirckaldy's ownership of their community building and 100 years of the community land ownership movement in Scotland.
This is a story of this community’s journey to community ownership and how that empowered them to do more on climate, build resilience and help people in need.
SCCAN podcast has lost it's funding. While we look for other sources, you can support us by donating through ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/1000betterstoriespod
You can also join our collective and share your audio stories through our channel - get in touch with Kaska on stories@sccan.scot.
Credits
Production and recording: Lewis Harrower
Field recording: Kaska Hempel
Resources
Greener Kirkcaldy https://www.greenerkirkcaldy.org.uk/
Community Land Scotland and the Stove Network - urban journeys digital mural - a story of community ownership https://www.greenerkirkcaldy.org.uk/project/greener-kirkcaldy-mural-a-story-of-community-ownership/
100 Years of Community Ownership story archive https://100years.scot/
DTAS community ownership support service https://dtascommunityownership.org.uk/ 
Scottish Land Fund https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/scottish-land-fund
 

Art Moves Fife - collaborative artwork connected to place

Our Story Weaver, Kaska Hempel, talks to the creative duo behind Art Moves Fife, Gillian McFarland and Kate Downes, about slow movement through landscape as a means to mobilise creative response to climate crisis, creative patience in thinking about solutions and tails wagging dogs.
You can find the audio tour illustrating the essence of the creative process during the first art move at Tayport Heath on izi.travel website or app here.
Credits
Production: Kaska Hempel
Resources
Art Moves Fife website https://www.artmovesfife.org/
Art Move at Tayport Heath - blog https://www.artmovesfife.org/blog/artmove-1b
Art Move at Tayport Heath - audio tour https://izi.travel/en/browse/a20cf047-db75-4f72-93e4-9ab98171d1c0/en
 

Everyday Changemakers: Marie-Anne Brown, Magpie

Our Story Weaver, Kaska Hempel, speaks with Marie-Anne Brown, a manager at Magpie in Banchory, about embracing a circular economy lifestyle, balancing social and climate responsibilities, and planning for extreme weather.
This is a final episode in our mini-series on climate driven extreme weather and adaptation in Scotland, marking the first anniversary of the devastating October floods in North East Scotland.
Credits
Production, recording and editing: Kaska Hempel
Resources
Magpie Shops https://www.magpieshops.org.uk/ 
Circular Communities Scotland https://www.circularcommunities.scot/ 
Aberdeen Voluntary Action https://www.avashire.org.uk/ 
Aberdeenshire South Food Bank https://aberdeenshiresouth.foodbank.org.uk/ 
DeesideCAN https://www.deesidecan.org.uk/ 
Number One https://www.facebook.com/numberonebanchory 
SSEN powering communities to net zero fund includes funding for community-led physical and environmental resilience for communities within their supply network areas https://www.ssen.co.uk/about-ssen/our-communities/powering-communities-to-net-zero-fund/ 
The Scottish Government’s New Build Heat Standard will now allow wood burning stoves from 1 January 2025, based on rural and island community feedback (amendment on 8 November 2024) 
https://www.gov.scot/news/wood-burning-stoves-to-be-permitted-in-new-homes/ 
SCCAN Adaptation resources
https://sccan.scot/climate-adaptation/ 

CampusCast CROSSOVER: Climate Adaptation at new Fife College Campus

We continue on our theme of climate change fuelled flooding and how we are adapting to it in Scotland. In the last two episodes we touched on responses from creative organisations and farming. Today we focus on future-proofing of newly built public buildings. 
In a podcast crossover, we share an episode from CampusCast series at Fife College, which focused on their Dunfermline Learning Campus as a pathfinder project for The Net Zero Public Sector Buildings standard. It’s the only pathfinder project that incorporated adaptation into their work, supported by Scotland’s Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network. The new campus is featured in the newly published Scottish National Adaptation plan as a case study.
CampusCast hosts, Sharrell Carroll and Naomi Wadsworth, are joined by industry expert Jonny Casey (Head of Climate Ready Leadership, Sniffer) to introduce climate adaptation, highlight what they are up to at Fife College and what you can do to get started with climate adaptation. 
Credits: 
CampusCast: Showcasing Sustainability podcast
Hosts: Sharrell Carroll & Naomi Wadsworth
Creative Director: Sharrell Carroll
Producer, Writer & Editor: Sharrell Carroll
Project Manager: Hayley Williamson
Researchers: Sharrell Carroll, Hayley Williamson & Naomi Wadsworth
Contributors & Advisors: Hayley Williamson & Naomi Wadsworth
Additional contributors: Lucy Jackson, Ethan Moss, and the Fife College community.
Music: Uppbeat
Resources
CampusCast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/110lS6bEVS0JcEIuU6XV1M?si=6b976a1750d74128
CampusCast on Adaptation Scotland website: https://adaptation.scot/our-work/fife-college-podcast-on-climate-adaptation/ 
Net Zero Standard https://www.netzerostandard.scot/ 
National Adaptation Plan for Scotland https://adaptation.scot/about/about-the-scottish-governments-national-adaptation-plan-snap3/
Scottish Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network  https://adaptation.scot/our-work/public-sector-climate-adaptation-network/ 
SCCAN Adaptation resource pages https://sccan.scot/climate-adaptation/ 

Farming and water - panel discussion, GO Falkland

In this episode, we share a recording of a panel discussion on Farming and Water held at the Groundswell Outreach regenerative farming meet up at the Falkland estate in Fife, last July. The session explores how landscape-level, regenerative management can help us adapt to the climate-induced extremes of floods and droughts. It also touches on the barriers to implementing such an approach. 
The panel was led by Ian Davis and included Alister Leggatt, Lyn White, and Cees Kamp and Anthony Ellis. 
This is the second in a short series focusing on flooding and adaptation stories this month.
Credit
Recording and edit: Kaska Hempel
Music extracts from “Song Shall Be Our Measure”, by Jessica Kerr, performed by herself, Kirsty Orton and Aaron McGregor
Poem written and performed by Sophie Cooke “The overpromised land”
Both works were commissioned as one of the creative inputs into the Scottish Ecological Design Association’s (SEDA) session on integrated land use at GO Falkland.
Resources
Groundswell https://groundswellag.com/ 
GO Falkland https://falklandestate.co.uk/go-falkland/ 
Videos from GO Falkland 2023 and 2024 https://www.youtube.com/@GOFalkland/videos
Video of SEDA’s session on Solving the Land Use Jigsaw Puzzle at GO Falkland 2024 https://youtu.be/8TxnHG9JwU8?si=RcNYuRmVXMDlU_JP
Integrated Trees Network - Scottish Forestry https://www.forestry.gov.scot/support-regulations/farm-woodlands/integrating-trees-network 
Affinity Water https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/ 
“Water is Love” film https://www.waterislovefilm.org/ 
5 Principles of Regenerative Agriculture https://groundswellag.com/principles-of-regenerative-agriculture/ 

Everyday Changemakers - Simone Stewart

Our Story Weaver, Kaska, talks to Everyday Changemaker Simone Stewart at the Barn’s “Plenty?” Festival in Banchory last October. They discuss degrowth and snails, storm Frank’s influence on the Barn’s creative direction, and the value of improvisation and community in an emergency. One year on, they also reflect on the impact of last year’s flooding which interrupted the festival.
 
This is the first in a short series focusing on flooding and adaptation stories this month.
 
Credits
Recording, interview and sound production: Kaska Hempel
 
Resources
Storm Babet Stories from Angus https://sccan.scot/blog/storm-babet-a-watershed-moment-for-angus/
The Barn https://www.thebarnarts.co.uk/ 
Newton Harrison’s The Deep Wealth of This Nation, Scotland https://www.thebarnarts.co.uk/artist/newton-harrison
Becoming Earthly at the Barn https://www.thebarnarts.co.uk/article/becoming-earthly-at-the-barn 
Far Orchard Network at the Barn https://www.thebarnarts.co.uk/article/the-far-orchard 
Manfred Max-Neef’s fundamental human needs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_Max-Neef%27s_Fundamental_human_needs 
What is degrowth? A beginners guide by Eilidh Connolly The Barn blog ttps://www.thebarnarts.co.uk/article/what-is-degrowth-a-beginners-guide 
Degrowth reading list from Creative Carbon Scotland https://www.creativecarbonscotland.com/springboard-2023/reading-list/
Degrowth in Scotland on We Talk podcast (early 2022) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nico-ndlovu

Harbour Voices CROSS OVER: Hans Unkles and his all electric lobster boat

In this cross over episode from Harbour Voices podcast by Open Road, we hear a story of Hans Unkles' all electric lobster boat.
This is first episode in Harbour Voices Festival of the Sea series which gives an important historical perspective to the stories of Torry People's Assembly we published recently.
Credit
Open Road
Resources
“Harbour Voices” podcast: https://www.openroadltd.com/projects/harbour-voices/ 
 “It’ll never work - an all electric electric lobster boat” documentary https://itllneverwork.boats/ 
SCCAN collection of climate-engaged podcasts in Scotland: https://sccan.scot/blog/on-the-way-to-1000-better-stories-ten-scottish-climate-podcasts/

BONUS - Matthew Clubb on Torry Retrofit

Retrofit coordinator, Matthew Clubb, talks through benefits and options of the retrofit project for Torry in Aberdeen. This is a recording of a talk from GO Torry! event in June 2024.
Credits
Recording and edit: Kaska Hempel
Resources
Listen to "GO Torry - growing resilience one year after peoples' assembly" https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-736yg-16bfd67
Community-driven regional retrofit support services:
Edinburgh: https://www.edinbric.scot/
SCCAN Members Skillshare presentation: https://youtu.be/6vP8lU_ZykA?si=26qExfvvdq3SBWOQ
Aberdeenshire: https://nesfit.org/
Glasgow: https://locohome.coop/
SCCAN Members Skillshare videos: https://youtu.be/AjQLdnk82Vo?si=KQSG93qfrsO2yXEJ
Our Everyday Changemakers interview with Tom Nockolds Loco Homes  https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-nf6kq-1493f27

GO Torry - growing resilience one year after peoples' assembly

Our Story Weaver, Kaska, revisits Torry in Aberdeen for a GO Torry event, celebrating community's growing resilience in the wake of People's Assembly and its Declaration last Spring. We hear of RAAC and retrofit, outdoor classrooms and stealthy resistance, poetry and community with a heart.
Credits
Production: Kaska Hempel
Resources
1000 Better Stories podcast episode about Torry Peoples’ Assembly of May 2023 – putting “just” back into “just transition”  https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-5q33x-14be025 
 NEW! Torry Assembly website – with: 
Tullos poetry zine from GO Torry event https://www.torryassembly.net/tullos-poetry-zine-1
Declaration of Torry Peoples’ Assembly 28th of May 2023 (PDF) https://www.torryassembly.net/s/Declaration-of-Torry-A6-booklet-v1-2.pdf 
Updates on the retrofit project https://www.torryassembly.net/about-retrofit 
Information about Torry Peoples Assemblies on the Grassroots to Global website https://www.grassroots2global.org/torry-peoples-assemblies 
Communities Assembly training by Grassroots to Global, early 2024 – SCCAN video series https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL727H-1nm_P25ueYx18ikvYroPMTGZ91-&si=dfN-nYxvbbaKQ3Ra
Just Transition Communities Project (NESCAN Hub) https://www.nescan.org/just-transition-communities 
Station House Media Unit https://www.shmu.org.uk/ 
Friends of St Fittick’s Park https://saintfittickstorry.com/ 
Aberdeen Ethnic Minority Women’s Group https://www.abdn-emwomen.org.uk/
North East Scotland Mammal Network (FB group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335588875705435/ 
The Bridge Centre, Torry FB page https://www.facebook.com/thebridgecentretorry/ 
Social Juice https://www.social-juice-cic.co.uk/
St Fittick’s Park court appeal fails https://hellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hits/aberdeen/news/st-fitticks-lose-legal-challenge-over-park-development/ 
 

Everyday Changemakers - Gareth Allenby, YMCA Glenrothes

Our Story Weaver, Kaska Hempel, talks to Gareth Allenby from YMCA Glenrothes about weaving climate action into life journeys of young people experiencing homelessness and the joys of judging coleslaw competitions.
YMCA Glenrothes Healthy Living Garden project was one of the community groups that received a small community grant from the Fife Climate Action Hub last year. Apply for your grant here: https://fccan.org.uk/community-climate-grants/ 
Listen to our story about First Year of Fife Climate Action gathering https://scottishcommunitiesclimateactionnetwork.podbean.com/e/year-one-of-fife-climate-hub-deepening-the-network-for-action/
Transcript 
See our website: https://sccan.scot/blog/everyday-changemakers-gareth-allenby-ymca-glenrothes/
 
Credits
Interview, recording and sound production: Kaska Hempel
 
Resources
Healthy Living Garden at YMCA Glenrothes https://www.ymca.scot/glenrothes/garden-open/ 
Sustainable Growing Event, Fife Climate Festival, at the Healthy Living Garden https://fccan.org.uk/events/ymca-glenrothes-fife-sustainable-growing-event/  
Seed and Development Fund, Fife Climate Hub https://fccan.org.uk/community-climate-grants/ 
Climate Hubs Across Scotland  https://sccan.scot/network-building/
Year One Of Fife Climate Hub - deepening the network for action (1000 Better Stories episode): https://scottishcommunitiesclimateactionnetwork.podbean.com/e/year-one-of-fife-climate-hub-deepening-the-network-for-action/