Writing the Stories of our Lives

Is there anyone amongst the middle-aged and older folk of Arran who doesn’t have a fund of stories to tell about their lives? Some have lived here all their lives and remember other times and older ways; others have finally arrived after years of longing, with childhood visits and family holidays; some come for a couple of days and never leave. It is a feature of island life that we are interested in how people have come to make Arran their home from such diverse backgrounds, and others can tell incomers how it was in the old days when the puffers still ran and the piers still stood. There are as many different stories to tell as there are different lives spent, in often unexpected ways.

A new small group is being set up to explore these stories through writing brief pieces and sharing them. Based on an idea developed by Penny Henderson of the University of the Third Age in Cambridge, we hope to gather for two hours each week in Kildonan over 8 weeks in the Autumn and 8 weeks in the spring. Each person will bring a brief piece of writing about some aspect of their life story to share with others at each meeting. We will be listening much more to the stories themselves than to the ways they are written.

If you think you might be interested in forming part of such a group and would like to know more please contact Sue Weaver or Alan Bellamy on 820615 or via email at suemweaver@yahoo.co.uk or alanmbellamy@yahoo.co.uk.