Natural Narratives Session #1 - Why Not Scotland?
Thank you to everyone who joined for our first Natural Narratives session of the year!
Natural Narratives is our first big community project since launching as a Community Interest Company back in May 2024. We plan on running six sessions in total from September 2024 to March 2025 on the last Friday of every month (apart from December). All sessions are free and will cover a range of talks, screenings, and activities all with an emphasis on environmental themes. Our goal is to stimulate discussion in an informal way, socialise, and bring communities across Strathearn together.
Our first session took place on September 27th 2024 and was a screening of the film “Why Not Scotland," created by Scotland: The Big Picture. The movie covered Flo, a young person from Glasgow who went on a journey around Europe to find places where nature is making a dramatic comeback. Inspired by this sense of hope and renewal, she asks the question: if this is possible elsewhere, then why not Scotland?
We had an excellent turn out on Friday, with many new faces. Sandison Hall was decked out with seating and lots of free popcorn to give a proper cinema experience. The film was thought provoking and portrayed a hopeful vision for the future of Scotland's landscapes and wildlife. After watching the film, we had a wonderful informal discussion led by Jen Newall. She encouraged everyone to think deeper about how rewilding projects can be created within our own communities, and whether Scotland could become a Rewilding Nation. It prompted some excellent conversations, and each table gave their own sincere thoughts answering these questions. Hopefully everyone left with a feeling of motivation to create change in their own communities, and maybe even within ourselves.
We’ve taken everyone’s feedback into account for our next sessions and thank you all for sharing how you found your experience. We are glad you enjoyed it 😊
Our next Natural Narratives session will take place on October 25th, where we will join Professor Kirsty Park from Stirling University for an engaging and informative talk about Biodiversity: what it is, why we need it, why we should be concerned about it, and what we can all do to help. For those who would like to stay longer, we will also be hosting a spooky nature quiz after the event!
See you next time!
- The Aquila Team