Weel duin tae Sauchie Community Group wha hae bin nominatit in Scots Community Project o the Year in the Scots Language Awards. Vote now!
The Scots Language Awards are in the Cumnock Toon Ha, Cumnock in pairtnership wi East Ayrshire Cooncil on 14th September at 7pm. Tickets fir the ceremony are available tae buy here: https://eastayrshireleisure.com/events/scots-language-awards/.
We askit Kate Turner o Sauchie Community Group thae speirins.
Tell us aboot yersel or yer ootfit.
We’re a small charity based in Sauchie, Clackmannanshire. We’ve been going for 32 years, starting as a group of 8 people meeting occasionally to put ideas forward for the community. We’ve now got events morning to evening 6 days a week, we host social events & fun days, spotlight local musicians and artists and ensure all our activities are either free or at a low cost to ensure finance is not a barrier to inclusion. We try to punch above our weight with everything we do and thrive to make Sauchie not only a beautiful place to live and visit but also to bring people from all walks of life together. Sauchie is a small village in the wee county but we do our best to make sure our heritage is celebrated, and highlighted in our values. One of Sauchie’s biggest legends is Sandy ‘the post’ Snaddon, who was the local posty and poet. Many of the poems from back in the day talk about everyone in Sauchie treating each other like family & always having someone to count on. This is what we inspire to do, be a safe place that people are excited to come to but also know we’re here to help when they need it.
Whit wis it got ye involvit wi the Scots leid?
We realised that there was a heavy problem with the cultural cringe and how young people from Sauchie were taught to “speak properly” in order to do well in life and how backwards that was. We looked at all the events we do and realised while we promote being your true self in all we do we hadn’t done anything to show how the Scot’s language and Sauchie dialect has progressed over the years and how important it is to be proud of the way you speak and use it to your strength. We had a night of performances from Sauchie poets and Sauchie poets of the past. It was so special to see people take pride in speaking Scots using their own Sauchie twang. It has inspired conversations with young and auld, and more events are in the works to continue to do this.
Why dae ye feel it is important tae use Scots in everyday life?
It is vital that people are comfortable in their own language and not shamed into speaking differently. There is most definitely a level of the cultural cringe that is taught to younger people, and this is taught by people who have been taught that themselves, that cycle canny continue. We needy be able to have a sense of pride and confidence in the way we speak and the best way to do that is by using Scot’s everyday cause the more people hear it the more they will realise it’s no a bad thing to speak in your own language. The history behind the way we speak whether it be with an Inverness or a Sauchie accent it all comes from a story, our story and we need more people to celebrate Scotlands history.
Dae ye hae a favourite Scots phrase or saying?
Mere n coorie in
Is there a Scots speaker who inspires you?
Alistair Heather – watching someone so confidently speak Scot’s no matter who it is he’s speaking to or presenting to is pretty inspiring, especially for the younger generations
Do you hear Scots spoken regularly in your local area? Have you noticed any changes over time?
Aye, in Clackmannanshire we’ve got different dialects of Scots but it’s most definitely prevalent. Although many people don’t realise they’re speaking Scots, they think they’re speaking slang.
Ony particlar career heighlichts
We lost a young member of our group to cancer when he was 16 and now we do 2 big events a year; Calum’s Gig & Calum’s Ceilidh to remember him but these also give people an opportunity to perform to a crowd and use it to start their journeys. We’ve also hosted the singing children of Africa & Musica viva from Slovenia, bringing the cultures together to celebrate each other was something pretty special.
Wha’s yer plans fir the days aheid?
We’ve got a few social nights coming up to spotlight local musicians, a concert for peace, and Calum’s Ceilidh so we’re all go planning these events while still running our daily activities. Lots of ideas for the rest of the year just need to find the time to do them and do them well. Our days are never quiet but they’re so so rewarding.
Read more about Sauchie Community Group
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sauchiecg
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/
The Scots Language Awards are in the Cumnock Toon Ha, Cumnock on 14th September at 7pm. Tickets are available to buy here: https://eastayrshireleisure.com/events/scots-language-awards/ There wull be some grand entertainmint oan the nicht tae, includin a recital fae Billy Kay, Susie Briggs, alang wi musical performances fae Claire Hastings an Sèan Gray.
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