Willow Weaving, Wild Food and the Isle of Whithon - A Dumfries and Galloway Special

This week, we are coming to you from the village of Whithorn, in Galloway, broadcasting from the replica Iron Age Roundhouse in the village.

Julia Muir Watt from the Whithorn Trust, and Shaun Thomson from Building Futures Galloway feature as live guests, to share the history of the area, and the importance of promoting heritage crafts and building techniques within the local area.

Whithorn has a thriving community enterprise in the form of the organisation All Roads Lead to Whithorn. They have established a New Town Hall, complete with study facilities, bunkhouse, and boxing ring! Hazel Smith joins Mark and Rachel to tell them more about the importance of having a central community facility in this rural town.

Galloway is full of natural beauty, but can often be overlooked due to its remote location. Christy Miles joins us on the programme to tell us about the stunning landscapes surrounding Whithorn, and also shares some of her expert willow weaving techniques with Mark and Rachel.

Mark Williams is the owner of Wild Food Galloway, and is passionate about sharing the knowledge of our native edible species. Rachel met with him on the coast to forage for some local plants, and to ask him more about the importance of reconnecting with our local wild foods.

Farmers are often seen as practical rather than creative types, but one Galloway farmer, Helen Ryman, is hoping to change that perspective with her artwork. Rachel went along to meet her at her farm, to find out how she became inspired to paint through her day job as a freelance farm hand.

RSPB Lochwinnoch is a quiet nature reserve in Renfrewshire. The reserve plays host to their Poet in Residence, Bobby Motherwell, who has been writing from the reserve for the past two years. Mark and Rachel met with Bobby at the reserve to hear some of his poetry in the landscape that inspired it.

The coastal villages surrounding Whithorn have a long maritime history, and there are many stories wrapped up within this history. A local expert on these stories is Gail McGarva, boatbuilder and storyteller. Gail is live on the programme to tell us how she first became involved in heritage boat building, and to share some of stories that accompany her craft.

Mark and Rachel also meet with Alistair Scoular, who is a local to the Isle of Whithorn, and runs the local Steam Packet Inn. He shares his knowledge of the historic shipping industry that took place with, and why this peninsula is indeed called the "Isle" of Whithorn, despite its clear connection to the mainland!

Galloway is well known for it's Dark Skies status, and visitors to the area can enjoy wonderful views of the stars on a clear night. Mike Alexander runs the local Galloway Astronomy Centre, and joins Mark and Rachel to tell them more about why the area is so well loved by astronomers, and the plans for a new astronomy centre nearby.

Forsyth Galloway and his family have been running the local grocers in Whithorn for a number of years, and have become something of an institution. Forsyth joins Mark and Rachel, bringing along some of his local produce from the area.