Start the day with Lumsden’s dawn chorus.

Join Julie of Tuttifrutti yoga for some gentle stretching and guided meditation.

Sandy Main, forester, takes us on a walk in the Forbes Estate at the foot of the Bennachie hills. He talks about his role and responsibilities as a forester, caring for and planning commercial forestry and deciduous broadleaf woodlands.

(1 of 4) Jake Williams leads us down the local River Deveron, from source to mouth, sharing stories and songs relating to the river’s journey along the way. In this first episode we join Jake Williams up at the Cabrach for a ramble around the area, looking at the landscape and environment. Jake tells us of his experience at the source of the river Deveron and plays us the song ‘The Buck of the Cabrach’. Other songs included in this episode are the ‘Deveron Reel’ played at the beginning by Jim Macleod and again at the end by Jake Williams.

What happens to sound in the in-between spaces? In this episode we listen to sounds from the local communities around Alford and pause to ask questions about knowledge, space and time.

Sam Trotman interviews Elaine Robinson (Lumsden Community Association), Nicola Sedgewick (Donside Community Council) and John Latham (Councillor), asking how do we navigate local democracy in Aberdeenshire?

Aileen Longino, Development Officer, tells us about Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action, a networked organisation whose mission is to promote the growth of strong, resilient, communities in Aberdeenshire by connecting, supporting, and promoting volunteers, charities, community-led organisations, and social enterprises.

Pupils from Lumsden School tell us what they are doing to look after the environment and what the rest of the community can do to help.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

Travelling through Europe with a cement mixer attached to their bike, artist maarten De Vrieze meets people who are often made invisible to society who are taking alternative routes, or desire lines, across the continent. Desire Lines is commissioned by BE PARTner Vooruit. 

Yvonne Turner is half of Glenview Fresh Local Produce, a small market garden based in New Byth near Turriff, which has been producing home-grown vegetables and fruit for local customers and farmer’s markets in Aberdeenshire since 2008. For us, garden and kitchen go hand in hand and we’re always happy to exchange recipes and ideas about growing and eating with whoever’s interested…

Yvonne is live in the studio to answer your questions relating to growing your own fruit and vegetables.

Maxine Smith asks how community-focused organisations in the area engage with their local communities and what power dynamics are at play. The discussion covers social enterprises, community engagement, sustainability and employment.

Stonemason Robbie Walker gives an insight into his knowledge of working with stone, from restoration of familiar National Trust properties, to the traditional craft of ‘dry stane dyking’.

Virginia Irvine-Fortescue presents an hour of musical requests from personalities in Lumsden and the surrounding communities. From traditional Scots music to rock and jazz, it’s an eclectic mix!

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

Dean Spade talks live with us about his work to build queer and trans liberation based in racial and economic justice for the past two decades. He’s an author, director, and creator of the mutual aid toolkit at BigDoorBrigade.com. His latest book, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next), was published by Verso Press in October 2020.

A meditation on power and power relations  by Mark Vernon, that draws upon voices and sounds from the Scottish Sculpture Workshop, Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

The piece takes the form of a radiophonic audio collage featuring voices of many of the participants interviewed for or working on Lumsden Live as well as staff from Scottish Sculpture Workshop.

(1 of 4) Jake Williams leads us down the local River Deveron, from source to mouth, sharing stories and songs relating to the river’s journey along the way. In this first episode we join Jake Williams up at the Cabrach for a ramble around the area, looking at the landscape and environment. Jake tells us of his experience at the source of the river Deveron and plays us the song ‘The Buck of the Cabrach’. Other songs included in this episode are the ‘Deveron Reel’ played at the beginning by Jim Macleod and again at the end by Jake Williams.

Marwa Arsanios, Lara Khaldi and Yazan Khalili continue their series of conversations to think collectively about the formation of contemporary art and its institutions in relation to crisis.

A varied soundscape by artist Mark Vernon intertwines sounds and voices of Lumsden.

Start the day with Lumsden’s dawn chorus.

Join Julie of Tuttifrutti yoga for some gentle stretching and guided meditation.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

Rose Annison tells us about collectively caring for four horses in the nearby village of Rhynie and how her special relationship with her cob, Daniel, benefits her mental health in difficult times.

(2 of 4) Jake Williams leads us down the local River Deveron, from source to mouth, sharing stories and songs relating to the river’s journey along the way. In the second episode in this series we take a trip to Alldivaloch with Jake Williams, looking at the landscape and environment, as well as hearing stories and songs of the area. Here we hear Jake playing ‘Roy’s Wife of Alldivalloch’ and ‘The Auchindoun castle’, as Well as being treated to one of Jake’s favorites – ‘The Farmyards of Delgaty’ version by Joe Gordon Folk Four. We also hear the ‘Deveron Reel’, version by Jim Macleod and played by Jake at the end.

In this short piece we are invited to listen and consider the idea of the sound in-between, what might that mean and how could that inform actions between communities.

Take some time out to explore and connect with the Allantarise Burn in Lumsden, and enjoy this watery meditation which looks at the more-than-human communities that we live alongside.

Artist Jack Tan and artist, producer and facilitator Amy Lawrence, discuss the challenges for artists in working with and within arts organisations, and their new collaboration, a Global Ethnic Majority Peoples’ Board Association.

Pupils from Lumsden School tell us what they are doing to look after the environment and what the rest of the community can do to help.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

Full Doric Mode is a voyage into a little heard sound archive of Doric speaking voices from 2006/7 by artist Zoe Irvine. This sound doc weaves together the archive material with contemporary reflections. The past and present intermingle through the medium of recorded conversation. The archive takes us into rural life in times gone by, farming, school days, home and working life, the contemporary conversations look back at the making of the archive and the power of oral history and folklore more generally, as well as reflecting on the dialect itself and the situation for Aberdeenshire dialect, Doric, today. Commissioned by Radiophrenia & National Library Scotland (Sounds of Scotland) with the support of Creative Scotland.

Eden Jolly and Michael Hautemulle, Technicians at SSW, are live in the studio to answer any questions listeners may have on ‘how to make anything’. Call in to (+44) 01464 861372 or email your making questions to lumsdenlive@ssw.org.uk

Listen into some of the village chatter in our virtual village hall.

Producer, artist and activist Kate O’Shea presents a conversation about the project Day of the Straws, with artist Marie Brett and community participants – historians, healers, spiritualists, storytellers, Elders, druids and singers, recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Ireland in the spring of 2020. Day of the Straws was commissioned by BE PARTner Cork Midsummer Festival.

Kate Searcaigh talks about herbalism and alternative therapies from the north east of Scotland, exploring how our hedgerows and gardens might hold the answers to health and wellbeing.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

A discussion with three generations all living in the Lumsden area. An exploration of views on each persons experiences and how that has played out, is playing out, and the expectations of the future aspirations, personally and from a community perspective.

(2 of 4) Jake Williams leads us down the local River Deveron, from source to mouth, sharing stories and songs relating to the river’s journey along the way. In the second episode in this series we take a trip to Alldivaloch with Jake Williams, looking at the landscape and environment, as well as hearing stories and songs of the area. Here we hear Jake playing ‘Roy’s Wife of Alldivalloch’ and ‘The Auchindoun castle’, as Well as being treated to one of Jake’s favorites – ‘The Farmyards of Delgaty’ version by Joe Gordon Folk Four. We also hear the ‘Deveron Reel’, version by Jim Macleod and played by Jake at the end.

Harry Josephine Giles in conversation with Sam Trotman. Together they discuss Harry Josephine’s work and writing that addresses structural inequalities in arts and how this has been informed by their political organising over the past 20 years.

Harry Josephine is from Orkney and lives in Leith, Edinburgh. Their verse novel Deep Wheel Orcadia is coming out with Picador in October 2021. They have a PhD in Creative Writing from Stirling University. Their show Drone debuted in the Made in Scotland Showcase at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe and toured internationally.

A varied soundscape by artist Mark Vernon intertwines sounds and voices of Lumsden.

Start the day with Lumsden’s dawn chorus.

Join Julie of Tuttifrutti yoga for some gentle stretching and guided meditation.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

Stonemason Robbie Walker gives an insight into his knowledge of working with stone, from restoration of familiar National Trust properties, to the traditional craft of ‘dry stane dyking’.

(3 of 4) Jake Williams leads us down the local River Deveron, from source to mouth, sharing stories and songs relating to the river’s journey along the way. In the third episode Jake talks about history along the river which includes the song ‘Drumdelgie’, version played here by Willie Clark. We are also invited to listen to the sounds of ‘The Marquis of Huntly’s Snuff Mill’ by Scott Skinner and the ‘Ballad of Willie Cummings’ – sung by Jake Williams and again by Jean Elvin. This episode may contain issues that some listeners may find distressing, parental guidance is advised.

Pupils from Lumsden School tell us what they are doing to look after the environment and what the rest of the community can do to help.

Marwa Arsanios, Lara Khaldi and Yazan Khalili continue their series of conversations to think collectively about the formation of contemporary art and its institutions in relation to crisis.

Sounds in between spends time in Alford, between communites, listening to sounds that emerge. It gives space to think about what sounds might hold power within spaces and what that might mean.

In relation to the current exploration and proposed Gold extraction at a local site in Towie, Aberdeenshire, we are joined by Green Ore Gold, who hold the lease on the site and Dr Avi Boukli, whose work and research into gold mining practices looks at the effects on surrounding communities.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

A meditation on power and power relations by Mark Vernon, that draws upon voices and sounds from Scottish Sculpture Workshop, Lumsden and surrounding areas.

Dawn Finch of Strathbogie Seed Collective (SSC) is live in the studio. SSC is a seed library – a collection of locally gathered seeds held in for community use which can be ‘borrowed’ by anyone. The aim of a seed library is to share and disseminate viable seed, especially local, heirloom and new local varieties that might otherwise be lost.

The Strathbogie Seed Collective grew out of The Town is the Garden project initiated by Deveron Projects in Huntly, Aberdeenshire and was originally coordinated by Joss Allen.

The Sound of Lochaber was originally created by Mark Vernon for Remote Performances – a daily live broadcast from Outlandia, a unique artists’ field-station in Glen Nevis, Lochaber, Scotland. The piece merges field recordings and voice interviews into a radiophonic soundscape intended to capture creative interactions with the land, its history and people and tensions between nature, industry, tourism and heritage. It also serves as a timely reflection on contemporary ideas of remoteness.

Get your groove on with Alford Academy Folk Band. Here they play a set of the Blue Reel and Smooth Criminal, and one of folk song, the Gadie.

Kate is one of two bakers behind Huntly’s Honesty Bakehouse. A small artisan bakery making sourdough breads and seasonal treats using a variety of local diverse grains. Kate began to learn to bake by helping in her village’s local bakery before moving to London to work in a bakery there and then on to work for Deveron Projects to help them set up a bakery. She is motivated by making food which is delicious and which is also made with ingredients grown with care for the soil and surrounding environment.

Kate is live in the studio to answer any questions you might have about baking, in any form!

‘Is It Worth It?’ is a sound piece by Allan Whyte and Louise Wilson, that aims to draw attention to the vacuous political rhetoric encompassing modern day environmental issues. By manipulating political speech, distorting natural sounds and creating new synthesised instruments, the work deals with threats facing the environment, the lack of political will to make change and media’s acceptance of mistruths. The effects of climate breakdown, which include erratic seasonal patterns and increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, have been proven to alter breeding and migrational behaviours of birds, cause bleaching and destruction of coral reefs, and pollute our water and air. This reality has been borne out of an economic structure which exploits finite natural resources in search of unsustainable capital gain.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

Sandy Main, forester, takes us on a walk in the Forbes Estate at the foot of the Bennachie hills. He talks about his role and responsibilities as a forester, caring for and planning commercial forestry and deciduous broadleaf woodlands.

Hanna Tuulikki’s Away with the birds is a body of work exploring the memesis of birds in traditional Scottish Gaelic song. Performed by a female ensemble, the composition reinterprets archive recordings, texts, and living traditions, weaving together fragments of Gaelic songs and poems that are imitative of birds, into a textural tapestry of sound. Performed by Nerea Bello, Kim Carnie, Anna Sheard, Lucy Duncombe, Megan Henderson, Kirsty Law, Mischa Macpherson, Nicola Scrutton, Hanna Tuulikki, and Judith Williams. Supported by Creative Scotland, The Space, Isle of Canna Community Trust, National Trust for Scotland, Cape Farewell, and PRS for Music Foundation.

(3 of 4) Jake Williams leads us down the local River Deveron, from source to mouth, sharing stories and songs relating to the river’s journey along the way. In part three Jake talks about history along the river which includes the song ‘Drumdelgie’, version played here by Willie Clark. We are also invited to listen to the sounds of ‘The Marquis of Huntly’s Snuff Mill’ by Scott Skinner and the ‘Ballad of Willie Cummings’ – sung by Jake Williams and again by Jean Elvin. This episode may contain issues that some listeners may find distressing, parental guidance is advised.

Artist Jack Tan and producer Amy Lawrence, discuss the challenges for artists in working with and within arts organisations, and their new collaboration, a Global Ethnic Majority Peoples’ Board Association.

A varied soundscape by artist Mark Vernon intertwines sounds and voices of Lumsden.

Start the day with Lumsden’s dawn chorus.

Join Julie of Tuttifrutti yoga for some gentle stretching and guided meditation.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

Kate Searcaigh talks about herbalism and alternative therapies in the north east of Scotland, exploring how our hedgerows and gardens might hold the answers to health and wellbeing.

(4 of 4) Jake Williams leads us down the local River Deveron, from source to mouth, sharing stories and songs relating to the river’s journey along the way. In the final episode of this series, we hear stories and associated songs of the area closest to the mouth of the Deveron, between Banff and Mcduff. Here we hear the story and song of ‘The far-famed fite Turra coo’ – played by John Malcolm, ‘The Roving Ploughboy’ sung by Iona Fife and ‘Mcpersons hanging’ sung by Jake Williams. This episode also includes the ‘Reel Du Pendu’ version by Jean Carignan.

Sounds in-between invites us into a local home to explore the communities and sounds that may frequent this intimate but everyday space.

Harry Josephine Giles in conversation with Sam Trotman. Together they discuss Harry Josephine’s work and writing that addresses structural inequalities in arts and how this has been informed by their political organising over the past 20 years.

Harry Josephine is from Orkney and lives in Leith, Edinburgh. Their verse novel Deep Wheel Orcadia is coming out with Picador in October 2021. They have a PhD in Creative Writing from Stirling University. Their show Drone debuted in the Made in Scotland Showcase at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe and toured internationally.

Pupils from Lumsden School tell us what they are doing to look after the environment and what the rest of the community can do to help.

Bill Slee (Alford Community / Community Asset transfer panel for Forest and Land Scotland) and Calum Macleod (Community Land Scotland) discuss the whys and hows of community land ownership in Scotland.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

John Booth presents a community takeover, looking at what lies ahead for the future of Huntly, including the work of the Huntly Development Trust. Along with Albert Booth, Patricia Annison, Jean McPherson and Sandra, John will be looking back at what many people remember of Huntly before it became, as John describes, “a ghost town”.

Rose Annison tells us about collectively caring for four horses in the nearby village of Rhynie and how her special relationship with her cob, Daniel, benefits her mental health in difficult times.

Jamie MacDonald interviews artists Aku Meriläinen and Maria Oiva about their Queer AI: Puutarha (“Garden” or “Oasis”) art project,  a participatory installation and workshop commissioned by BE PARTner Kiasma / URB Festival, that brings queer perspectives on creation myths to Google searches. The Queer AI project aims to create an AI that understands the diversity of gender and sexual orientation.

Donside Community Hydro is a community-owned hydro electric station, the first of its kind in Scotland. It is run by Aberdeen Community Energy (ACE), a group formed from Donside Village Community Association who developed the project, after seeing value in a proposal by a Housing Association.

Take some time out to explore and connect with the Allantarise Burn in Lumsden and enjoy this watery meditation which looks at the more-than-human communities that we live alongside.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

Virginia Irvine-Fortescue presents an hour of musical requests from personalities in Lumsden and the surrounding communities. From traditional Scots music to rock and jazz, it’s an eclectic mix!

(4 of 4) Jake Williams leads us down the local River Deveron, from source to mouth, sharing stories and songs relating to the river’s journey along the way. In the final episode of this series, we hear stories and associated songs of the area closest to the mouth of the Deveron, between Banff and Mcduff. Here we hear the story and song of ‘The far-famed fite Turra coo’ – played by John Malcolm, ‘The Roving Ploughboy’ sung by Iona Fife and ‘Mcpersons hanging’ sung by Jake Williams. This episode also includes the ‘Reel Du Pendu’ version by Jean Carignan.

Sam Trotman interviews Elaine Robinson (Lumsden Community Association), Nicola Sedgewick (Donside Community Council) and John Latham (Councillor), asking how do we navigate local democracy in Aberdeenshire?

A varied soundscape by artist Mark Vernon intertwines sounds and voices of Lumsden.

Start the day with Lumsden’s dawn chorus.

Join Julie of Tuttifrutti yoga for some gentle stretching and guided meditation.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

An exploration of farming in Aberdeenshire, how this has changed over the years and what the future might hold for the farmers and their families.

Listen again to Dean Spade in conversation with us about about his work to build queer and trans liberation based in racial and economic justice for the past two decades. Dean is an author, director, and creator of the mutual aid toolkit at BigDoorBrigade.com. His latest book, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next), was published by Verso Press in October 2020.

Lisa Ross, a founder of Alford Mutual Aid group at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, shares more about the why and how of our local mutual aid hub.

A meditation on power and power relations by Mark Vernon, that draws upon voices and sounds from the Scottish Sculpture Workshop, Lumsden and the surrounding areas. The piece takes the form of a radiophonic audio collage featuring voices of many of the participants interviewed for or working on Lumsden Live as well as staff from Scottish Sculpture Workshop.

Pupils from Lumsden School tell us what they are doing to look after the environment and what the rest of the community can do to help.

The BE PART Critical Network will share the first draft of a protocol, or set of guiding principles, for the project, developed through collaborative work with stakeholders across the BE PART network. The Protocol will be revised at each Assembly in the network by a new group of stakeholders.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

Artists, co-creators, communities and the team at Scottish Sculpture Workshop respond to the Critical Network’s collaboratively developed protocol for the BE PART network.

Jed Byer talks us through a brief history of the contest whilst looking at the changes, political, cultural and activism displayed over the years. We are then joined by Artist Richard Dedomenici to discuss his work ‘Coronavision’ and will then play a selection of Eurovision entries from the BEPART partner countries.

Maxine Smith talks to two women, Suzanne Rhind and Dr Sandra Gordon, who have moved into and settled in the local area. The discussion explores rural living, and the implications of making major life changes.

The Forgotten People is a poem and film written and performed by artist and poet Lady Unchained, produced by BE PARTner ArtsAdmin. The Forgotten People highlights racial inequality in the UK prison system, it was written at the Rotterdam Summer Lab in 2019 and perfected during the Black Lives Matter protests in summer 2020.

We’re pleased to host a takeover by Aberdeen-based Shmu Radio.

What happens to sound in the in-between spaces? In this episode we listen sounds from the local communities around Alford and pause to ask questions about knowledge, space and time.

Live request show – playing songs on demand to get us in the mood for our Kitchen Disco later on.

The latest news from Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

Lumsden resident Neil Gray shares the first ever recording of his newly learnt song Flower of Scotland. This will be followed by a playlist of his favourite songs. Made with support from his brother Kyle Gray.

Aberdeenshire’s Affa Fine,  share their latest Bothy Bass set live from the SSW studio! Have a hardcore ceilidh in your kitchen to celebrate the final hours of Lumsden Live. In their words enjoy :Twa loons mackin i duncefleer heatit wi yon Nu Bothie, Speed Ceildh, Fitwerk & mare…

For ‘Ode To The N.H.S.’ Ain Bailey composed a meditation/homage to the National Health Service, using the recordings of 10 weeks of ‘Clap for the N.H.S.’ that took place during the first lockdown. Ain says, “While there are many who thought the gesture futile, I saw it as moments of solidarity and community appreciation for an organisation that has long been under siege and underfunded.”.