Hello and welcome to this new edition of the Voice for Arran! After the slow crawl of winter, it felt today like spring had truly arrived. Yet even with the promise of new life, I feel a more measured quality of time remains, and the continued need for what Roshni Parmar-Hill writes of in ‘Wintering’ – the art of slowing down. Perhaps this sense of cautious balance arises from the tone of the pieces in this issue. Perhaps also it reflects my deep-seated unease at the currents of misinformation and uncontrolled rhetoric that is currently typifying global relations.
The imagery in Parmar-Hill’s writing is comforting – “The trees and mammals in our garden at this time can be teachers in the practice of stopping” – at a time when the “collective habit energy of running” she refers to seems at the global level to be unchecked. To put this in more context, Parmar-Hill explains that in popular culture the collective habit of running has been described as ‘grind’ or ‘hustle’ and is a form of exploitative capitalism, white supremacy and injustice.
Grounding me a little more are the campaigns and initiatives happening closer to home, and the positive news that North Ayrshire Council is going to safeguard some vital community resources in the coming year. As we reported in the last Voice, the Arran Outdoor Education Centre was once again being considered for closure. But the SNP councillors announced last week they are committed “to efforts to create a sustainable future for the Centre.” Alongside this, waste collection services will be retained, as well as all public libraries.
This welcome news comes as the national Love Libraries campaign was officially launched, in a drive to encourage more people to join libraries and make use of all they have to offer. Writing on her experience of running The Nature Library in Irvine, Christina Riley considers how libraries offer a lot more than books. She describes how they provide places of limitless possibility, of connection and creativity, and goes onto advocate for stronger legislation to protect these valuable community spaces, saying, “Access to communal spaces, self-led education and leisure, a warm space we don’t have to give someone money to be in, should be a given.”
At a time when it feels like “we are standing before a rising tide of dangers,” whether that is the increasing events associated with the warming planet, an upsurge in far right sensibilities across the world, or the prospect of war on our doorstep, defending such unassuming places may seem pointless. However Riley asserts that in these times it is more important than ever, for “Access to trusted information is becoming more important by the day.” And while, “Actions speak louder than words…words inform and inspire actions and connect those whose paths would otherwise never cross. Closing libraries cuts off this access to information, and withholding information is a form of social oppression.”
In other news, the arran community is organising around a campaign to save the ferry route from Ardrossan – please sign the online petition if you haven’t signed a paper one already and consider emailing Fiona Hyslop, the Cabinet Transport Secretary. In the coming days there is a fascinating talk on the life of seals at Arran Natural History Society’s meeting on 4th, as well as an unique event at the Corrie Film club on 9th, with a screening of London Recruits and Q&A with the director after. We hope you enjoy the issue, and wish you warmth and light in the days ahead, Elsa
